Experiments have been made with the prin cipal varieties of Chinese, Japanese, Italian and Spanish rice, and those laiown as vialonne, lansith and Valencian are mentioned as being best adapted for the localities under experiment. To place the industry upon a stable basis, ex perts from Japan were called to study and re port upon rice-growing possibilities. The climate, soil and irrigation of the northwestern provinces of Salta, Jujuy and Santiago del Estero have been reported suitable for rice culture on a large scale, with particular recom mendation for the departments of Campo Santo and Santa Ana in Salta and La Banda in Santiago del Estero. Later reports will be made regarding possibilities in Catamarca and La Rioja, where conditions are already known to be favorable.
The national production of rice doubled after the breaking out of the European War, due to the general increase in the prices of cereals of all kinds resulting from the general world demand, and, particularly as concerns Argentina, the excessive oversea freight rates on imports. In the three provinces alone of Tucuman, Salta and Jujuy, the acreage de voted to rice growing in 1916 was five times that of 1915, and with the exception of certain localities — notably Corrientes — where drought was experienced, the yield per acre was the maximum. As indicating the increase, the province of Tucuman may be taken as an ex ample, the yield being, in 1913, 4,190,000 pounds; 1914, 7,120,M0 pounds; 1915, 15,430,000 pounds,• and in 1916, between 15,000,000 and 16,0130,000 pounds (estimated).
On the occasion of a competitive exhibition of native rice (1917) held at Buenos Aires un der the auspices of the Argentine Rural t oci ety, it was pointed out that with an acreage of from 60,000 to 75,000 acres devoted to this cereal, the country would no longer be depend ent on imports. The amount bought abroad amounted, in 1913, to 97,721,190 pounds; 1914, 123,417,935 pounds, of which the greater part came from Italy and the British possessions. The United States (supplying none in 1911 and 1912) sold Argentine, in 1913 (fiscal year end ing 30 June), 7,619,152 pounds ; 1914, 3,000 pounds; 1915, 3,923,611 pounds; 1916, 3,442,042 pounds; and 1917, 36.887,737 pounds.
In accordance with the policy of encourage ment given to the industry, the National and Provincial governments have perfected agree.
meats, the former through the Banco de In Nacion, providing for the milling and grading of rice at actual cost to the grower. In addi tion, plans have been made for giving expert instruction as to its culture; for furnishing suitable seed and other inducements; and sea sonable markets.
Peru.- Peru is one of the Latin American countries whose production of rice corresponds closely to domestic requirements. In mention of the industry (Bulletin of the Pan American Union, February 1917), rice culture is stated as having been a national industry for several centuries, the importance of which has only recently come to be realized. In the same arti
cle the annual production is estimated for the past several years as being from 70,000,000 to 100,000,000 pounds. While obsolete methods of growing and handling the cereal are still in vogue in parts of the country, there has been a noticeable advance generally in the utilization of modern appliances, due to the encourage ment of the government through the Ministry of Public Industry. Rice mills are being in stalled, for which there is a growing demand for equipment from the United States (Com merce Reports, 3 Feb. 1916).
The quality of the Peruvian rice is stated by the United States consul at Lima (Report of 10 June 1916) as being superior and better than that imported from China, a fact that ac counts for both imports and exports appearing in the annual trade reports of the country, as the former are intended to supply the cheaper grades of consumption, releasing for foreign de mand the higher priced domestic product. Recent ly, however, in order to conserve domestic food stuffs, an embargo has been placed on its expor tation, a measure that has been the subject of criticism. The exports of rice amounted in 1912 to $289,411; 1913, $380,690; 1914, $305,484; and 1915, $788,061. During the sameperiod the iim s were, 1912, $598,399; 1913, $546,313; 1914, ,592; and 1915, $603,700. Of the imports since 1911, those from the united States were as fol lows: 1911 (fiscal year ending 30 June), none ,• 1912, 30,000 pounds, valued at $1,200; 1913 and 1914, none; 1915, 541,662 pounds, valued at $24255; 1916, 57,890 pounds, valued at $2,410; and 1917, 493,912 pounds, valued at $21,395.
Costa Rica.- The annual per capita con sumption of rice in Costa Rica is at least 100 it being eaten at least twice a day by every Inhabitant of the republic. The total consumption exceeds 30,000,000 pounds per year, from 4,000,000 to 6,000,000 pounds being imported annually, notwithstanding the heavy domestic production, largely on the mountain and hill slopes of the interior of the country. Of late there has been a movement toward the utilization of the swamp lands in the neighbor hood of Port Lim6n, it being practicable to flood these during certain months of the year. The imports of rice - formerly 60 per cent from Germany, 22 per cent from the United States, 10 per cent from England, and the remainder from China and other countries - have lately been as follows: 1913, $143,391; 1914, $160, 311; and 1915, $108,649. The amount imported from the United States since 1912 is as follows: Fiscal year ending 30 June 1912, 1,034 pounds, valued at $38; 1913, 4,558 pounds, valued at $152; 1914, 10,236 pounds, valued at $421; 1915, 826,014 pounds, valued at $34,944; 1916, 541,547 pounds, valued at $21,031; and 1917, 195,357 pounds valued at $8,043.