The San Antonio Light (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 188, Ed. 1 Sunday, July 25, 1920 Page: 33 of 44
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Sunday July 25 1920
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King Brothers- Expert Rice
Growers From Bay City *
Growers Led to Try This Crop Here By
Favorable Climatic Conditions and
Probabilities of Better Harvesting
Conditions Than in Coastal Sections.
—Soil Ideal Water Ample and Fields
Can Be Dried Out Quickly When
Reapers Are Ready to Enter —May
Mean New Agricultural Future For
This Section.
Not more than 23 miles from San
Antonio in the Medina Valley there
are approximately 2000 acres of land
being devoted tu the culture of rice.
For the first time in the history of this
section of the state an attempt to raise
the cereal which constitutes a part of
the diet of practically every family in
the civilized world is being made. The
crop is rapidly maturing and has every
indication of making an excellent yield
when it is harvested about the first of
September not only crowning the effort*
B^f several planters who were bold
^^Buough to spend their time and money
introducing rice into this territory
■ Jbut proving that conditions in this coun-
try are as adaptable for growing rice
F as «'*n be found anywhere.
About the first of the year 11. .1.
King experienced in rice culture in the
coastal country removed his family
from Bay City and settled about two
and one-half miles from the little town
of La Coste Medina County where he
had rented approximately 750 acres of
land. He carefully prepared his land
with all the skill his many years in rice
growing had given him and planted the
best seed obtainable. Others iu the
same vicinity who are cultivating the
crop for the first time this year are:
U. J. William* and W. A. bayvault
who together have approximately 1600
acres of land planted in rice and N.
M. Poon who has a little over 000
acres devoted to rise.
Needs Much Water.
The entire rice acreage is in good con-
dition and is practically free from rank
growth. Requiring a great amount of
water its culture is especially favored
in the Med m Valley where thotiaande
of acres are under irrigation and the
water supply is practically assured for
ail time.
That the Medina Valley lands where
irrigated will become rice fields
eventually is forecast by some of the
enthusiasts in rice growing. The ex-
neriment was made here largely for two
^^easons. One is that the climate here
is ideal for rapid growth and maturity
of rice. The other and more important
reason is that larger and better yields
probably will be secured here due to the
fact that the falls usually are dry with
Hha minimum of rainfall facilitating the
a n esting.
In many rice growing sections heavy
lossro occur annually due to continu-
ous rainfall at the time when the rice
crop should be remove from the field.
THE SAN ANTONIO LIGHT
JJ^^l?ice as Far
k As The Eye Can See
Then too some of the lands are so
swampy that drainage is poor and it is
difficult in a wet year to dry the
fields sufficiently to admit reapers.
Conditions Are Favorable.
In the Medina Valley the ground
dries very rapidly the growers state.
They believe that within a few days
after the fields are drained a baked
condition of the surface soil will re-
sult due to the heat of the mu and
evaporation which will make the har-
vest possible. The harvest season is
the vital season for the rice ciop. There
are but a few days in which to reap
the rice cure it and remove it for
threshing. Continuous rains. Improper-
ly drained lands or other conditions
common to the coast country as for iu*
Mance wet foggy days lessen the yield
or destroy the ciop entirely. Here such
conditions are rarely if ever know and
it is the belief of the experimenters
that they can make the rice crop in
the Medina Valley almost a certainty
from year to year.
They also hold that if their project is
successful other Medina Valley farm-
ers will be led to enter the business
in which event adjacent to San An-
tonio will be one of the great rice-grow-
ing sections of South Texas. The val-
ley itgds are wonderfully rich in the
soil requirements for this crop and the
Medina irrigation plant assures ample
water. Climatic conditions are favor-
able and the success of this undertak-
ing seems assured.
The rice grower leases his land at
|»l2 an acre which includes water.
The irrigation system by which the
rice croi> is kept under sufficient water
until harvest is provided by the Medina
project consisting of the main dam
across the Medina River and two small-
er dams a main reservoir and two sub-
sidiary tanks and a spillway. The
water is distributed effectively through
a main canal and laterals. The large
dam is 128 feet wide 1580 feet long
and ISO feet high from bottom of foun-
dation and 164 feet high from bottom
of river bed. It has three discharge
pipes each five feet in diameter. Its
construction is said to have cost over
.52550000. The main reservoir im-
pounding 254000 acre-feet of water is
152 feet deep at the dam and sixteen
miles long with an average width of
one and one-half miles.
It covers 6261810 acres of land. The
spillway over which the storm waters
empty into a canyon and then into a
Rice. Field Ju5T Headed Our. “
I Ready To Harvest in Si/ v/eeks.
Patrolling Irrigation Canals
R»y Motorcycle:.
View of Main Canal —
Redina Irrigation Company!
• lower reservoir is 882 feet in width. It
' is estimated that by raising this spill-
i way eight feet the capacity of the
■ main reservoir can be increased 46880
acre-feet thus furnishing enough water
to irrigate 100000 acres of land annu-
: ally.
The diversion dam is 52 feet wide
440 feet long and <BO feet high from
the bottom of the foundation and 50
feet high from the bottom of the river
: bed. Jc has five discharge gates 5x7
I feet. The diversion reserfoir covers 202
1 acres of land and impounds 39000-acre
; feet of water. It is 50 feet deep nt the
dam; the average fall of the river is
twelve feet to the mile. Its length is
[four miles with an average width of
I one-tenth of a mile; at discharge level
it has a shore surface of ten miles. The
•(’hicon dam is 16 feet high 566 feet
| long and 27 feet to the bottom of the
! foundation and 32 feet to the bottom of
■ the creek. It has one discharge pipe.
The Chicon reservoir covers 134 acres
! of laud impounding 663 acre-feet of
water. It is 22 feet deep at the dam
and its shore surface at discharge level
1 is 6.1 G miles.
: The main canal extends a distance of
24 miles from the diversion dam near
I the town of Pearson. It has a capacity
at Sypnon No. 1 of 850 cubic feet per
second and at Syphon No. 2 600 cubic
feet per second. It is from 9.8 to 12
feet in width and is constructed ^f con-
View of Main Canal -
Medina Irrigation Company
Crete metal flumes rock and earth
excavations. The laterals extend from
Pearson over the lands in various direc-
tions covering about 50 miles.
Thousand Acres of Rice
Ac>out Half Grov/n.
Water Flowing Out
tlpoN Pice ^Fields.
The ordinary flow of the Medina
(liver averages 111000 acre-feet a year
as shown by the records from 1896 to
1915.
The irrigation system is in charge of
experienced men always on the alert
to detect any breaks that may occur
in the darns or the ditches. At the main
dam is a caretaker; along the main
canal a superiutendent and his labor-
ers work. Carpenters foreman labor-
ers and four canal riders keep con
stant watch along the laterals and
ditches. It is an impressive sight to see
the canal riders each mounted on a
high-powered motorcycle speeding up
and down the banks of the waterways
They must of necessity be experts for
all the space upon which they have
to travel is a narrow path on the top
of the embankments.
Ou the lands which the King family
has rented cultivation of the rice is
under the jiersonal attention of Mr
King and his two sons O. R. and P. S
King. They employ negro laborers
chiefly; for heavy plowing they use a
large gasoline tractor. Mule teams
are also used.
Mr. King has made an exhaustive
study of rice culture and the practical
experience he has gained in its culti-
vation places him in a position to
speak authoritatively.
Irrigation Is -Vital.
“Irrigation is the most Important fea-
ture in the culture of rice” Mr. King
said in response to the question as tu
what he considered most essential to
successful rice growing. “Water must
be applied continuously and at a uni-
form depth for many days. To meet
these requirements laud which is iu-
[ Flume ~
Ihain Canal J
tended for this crop should be level and
underlaid by a sub-soil that is im-
pervious to water. The importance of
good drainage can not be too strongly
emphasized. Without it the field can
not be quickly drained for harvest. A
delay in draining a field may cause
a heavy loss in yield.
“It is also necessary in order to pre-
vent water-logging a condition which
unquestionably affects the yield.”
Concerning seed selection planting
drainage and harvesting the rice crop
Mr. King said:
"There are many different varieties of
rice a fact not universally known. The
long-grain rice of the United States
is represented on a large commercial
scale by the Honduras variety. Its
seed is long and narrow averaging in
length two and one-half seeds and in
width eight seeds to an inch. It has
a light-yellow awnless hull that is thin-
ly covered with short white hairs. The
awn however often is present when
he variety is grown on very rich soil
londuras rice must be sown early
uough to mature before becoming af-
fected by the cooler nights and winds
of September if maximum yields are
to be obtain Al. For this reason this
variety should be seeded not later than
May 1. The entire plant matures rap-
ily. and any delay in harvest may re-
sult in a low yield because the branches
of the head break off and drop shortly
after maturity.
Japanse Rice Prolific.
“The short-grain varieties that are ।
grown in this country are Japanese in
origin and seem well adapted to prairie
conditions. They are very hardy and
produce large yields but require a long
growing season. On account of the first
two qualities they are very popular
with the farmers. They break less in
milling than the long-grain varieties
and for this reason the millers prefer
them. The general trade however
shows a preference for the long-grain
rice.
“Then there is the medium-grain rice
averaging in length three and one-hall
seeds and in width seven and one-fifth
seeds to an inch. Its light-yellow bull
is thinly covered with short white
hairs.
"In preparing a seed bed for rice
the land should be plowed in late au-
tumn or winter. Winter plowing will
permit the free circulation of air in the
soil if the land is well drained at this
time.
“Spring-plowed land should be disked
and harrowed immediately after plow-
ing because the soil dries out very rap-
idly under the action of the winds which
usually prevail at this season and if al-
lowed to dry out a satisfactory seed bed
eanuot be obtained. The surface soil of
the seed should be loose and finely pul-
verized to a depth of at least two
inchest
"Careful preparation of the seed for
planting is important. All rice seed
should be graded and cleaned before it is
sown. It is usually sown with a 16-hole
grain drill although an end-gate broad-
Classified and Real Estate
Indispensable Adjuncts
To Rice Growing
cast seeder often is used. The greater
part of the rice crop is generally aowu
from April Ito May 15. Under normal
weather conditions the long variety
when sown the first week in May ma-
tures during the first week in Septem-
ber. Seeds should not be covered to a
depth exceeding two inches and on the
other band too shallow seeding ia not
proper for best results.
"Irrigation water is usually first ap-
plied when the young plants have reach-
ed a height of 6to 8 inches. The fields
at thia time are submerged to a depth
of 1 to 2 inches. The depth of water is
increased slowly until the maximum
depth of 5 inches is obtained. Through-
out the growing season the maximum
depth ia maintained fresh water being
supplied when needed to equal the losses
from seepage evaporation and transpor
tation.
“The irrigation water should be re-
moved promptly from the rice field when
the crop is ready to be harvested. To
do this effectively ample provision
should be made for draining the field
at harvest time.
“Rice is usually harvested with a
twine binder with the exception of a
comparatively small acreage along the
Mississippi River where the crop is
cut with a hand hook. Rice should
not be left standing until fully ripe
but should be cut promptly when the
kernels in the lower part of tbs heado
are not entirely hardened. This stage
of maturity is indicated by the position
of the beads which are well turned
down. If cut earlier the quality of the
rice will be greatly affected by a large
percentage of imperfectly formed ker-
nels. If cut later there will bo a loss
of grain from shattering.
Care In Harvesting.
“The harvested grain should be
shocked in such a manner as to protect
it from sun and rain. Too long an ex-
posure to the sun is likely to crack the
grain and too much dampness will af
feet the proper hardening of it.
"Rice should not be theehed until tl»
kernel is bard and the straw thorous:
ly dry. This requires at least **•
weeks in the shock when the weuuier is
dry.”
Two varieties of rice are being culti-
vated by Mr. King. They are the Early
Prolific and the Ixiuisiana Pearl. There
is a slight difference in the size of the
two and the length of time required for
them to mature.
N. M. Poon of San Antonio general
manager of the Sang Fat Grocery Com-
pany has about 500 acres devoted to
rice Culture.
Mr. Poon who is a native of China
states that conditions in this section
are identical to those in China where
rice is grown so extensively. Before
emigrating to thia country about four-
teen years ago Mr Moon says thst he
engaged in rice culture with great suc-
cess. He declares that if possible h«
is going to treble his acreage ia the
Medina Valley he has devoted to rice
this yesr.
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Diehl, Charles S. & Beach, Harrison L. The San Antonio Light (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 188, Ed. 1 Sunday, July 25, 1920, newspaper, July 25, 1920; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1617009/m1/33/: accessed July 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; .