Extract of a Letter of Peter Collinson to Gentleman’s Magazine, May 26, 1766.
In the year 1696, my sagacious friend, Charles Dubois, then treasurer to the East Indian Company, told me often with pleasure, that he first put the Carolinians on the culture of rice.
He happened one day, in that year, to meet Thomas Marsh, a Carolina merchant, at the coffee-house, to whom he said, I have been thinking, from the situation, nature of the soil, and climate, that rice may be produced to great advantage in Carolina: but, says Marsh, how shall we get some to try? Why, says Dubois, I will inquire for it amongst our Indian captains. Accordingly, a money-bag full of East India rice was given to Marsh, and he sent it to South Carolina; and in the year 1698, he told his friend Dubois, that it had succeeded very well.
But, from so small an original, it required a long time to spread to advantage; besides, the people being unacquainted with the manner of cultivating rice, many difficulties attended the first planting and preparing it, as a vendible commodity, so that little progress was made for the first nine or ten years, when the quantity produced was not sufficient for home consumption.
About this time, a Portuguese vessel arrived, with slaves from the east, with a considerable quantity of rice, being the ship’s provision; this rice the Carolinians gladly took in exchange for a supply of their own produce. This unexpected cargo was distributed, which gave new spirit to the undertaking, but was not sufficient to supply the demand of all those that would have procured it to plant.
Therefore the Assembly of South Carolina, taking into consideration the importance of the culture of rice, very prudently voted a bounty to encourage its importation, that there might be a supply of seed for every undertaker.
My ingenious friend, Tho. Lambol, esq. now living, informs me, that in the year 1704, being then a lad, going to school at some distance from Charles-Town, he took notice of some planters who were essaying to make rice grow.
In the year 1712, the same gentleman was an apprentice to a principal merchant in Charles-Town, who was appointed public treasurer; and he well remembers that a bounty (granted by the Assembly) was then paid to a captain, who brought in the first cargo of rice, after the bounty was ordered; this cargo came from the Straits, probably from Egypt, or the Milanesse.
In the year 1713, another ship arrived, and the captain made the like demand, and received the bounty for bringing a cargo of rice and slaves from Madagascar.
From these particulars it appears that the progress of raising rice in any considerable quantity was very slow; and I can find no account of any being exported for the first fifteen years. But it is reasonable to conclude, that after the arrival of these two cargoes of rice, for sowing, the planters were amply furnished, to extend its culture; and being a yearly production, it soon became a staple commodity; it is therefore very probably, that in the years 1715 or 1716, a quantity was raised sufficient for exportation, which continued to increase till the year 1726, and then it became a great article of commerce. For my correspondent, Sam Eveligh, a merchant residing in Charles-Town, writes me that, from the year
Barrels of Rice
1726 to 1727 were exported 40,000
1729 to 1730 were exported 41,957
1740 to 1741 were exported 80,000
1755 to 1756 were exported 60,000
1757 to 1758 were exported 67,040
1760 to 1761 were exported 100,024
1761 to 1762 were exported 34,972
half barrels 3,600
The Carolina Gazette of June 12, 1762, says the crops of rice are so great that we expect to make 150,000 barrels.
I cannot express the satisfaction I feel, in reflecting on the wonderful increase of so valuable a commodity, from so small a beginning, in about, or little more than, half a century.
May 26, 1766 P. Collinson
Our studies at Clemson University’s
Coastal Research and Education Center (CREC), Charleston, SC were
started when we obtained seeds of ‘Carolina Gold’ rice from the
USDA-ARS Germplasm Laboratory in Aberdeen, Idaho in 1998. The
Carolina Gold was grown in the greenhouse for the first year. Then
in 1999 we transplanted them to the field. We increased the seeds
each year and in 2000 we sent the Carolina Gold seeds to Dr. Gurdev
Khush, head of the Plant Breeding and Genetics Department at the
International Rice Research Institute, Los Banos, Philippines, with
the request to cross these with modern, high-yielding varieties but
with instructions to keep the gold color (and hopefully, the taste)
of Carolina Gold.
Dr. Khush made these crosses and in 2002 we planted 25 CGR-modern
variety rice crosses at CREC. Our objective was to develop an
improved strain of Carolina Gold with better yields, disease and
insect resistance and one that would resist lodging (falling down
in high winds and rain), an undesirable characteristic of Carolina
Gold. Dr. Khush sent 25 accessions that resulted from crosses
between Carolina Gold and high-yielding Japonica type varieties. We
selected 12 of these and evaluated them in 2003.
Four of the most promising ones were planted in 2004 and we
selected one that will be increased in 2005. One genotype stands
out among the others and we hope to develop a new variety called
‘Charleston Gold’. Another 2 – 3 years field observations should
allow us to decide if ‘Charleston Gold’ will really become a
suitable variety.
Another aspect of our research is moving toward organic production
of Carolina Gold. At the suggestion of Glenn Roberts, President of
the CGRF and owner of Anson Mills, we used sustainable methods of
production of Carolina Gold for the first time in 2003. We had very
positive results and have decided to continue growing part of each
year’s crop in this way.
Over the years we have donated seed to be grown for demonstration
projects such as the Middleton Place rice field grown in 2002,
2003, 2004, and the crop to be grown there in 2005. In addition we
have consulted with several other interested growers including
Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, Mike Booth’s Low Country Foods,
Dr. Jack Rhodes’ Prospect Hill Plantation fields, and Glenn
Roberts’ field this year also at Prospect Hill.
Also, the WINGS program in the Charleston county schools benefited
from our seed and growing expertise this year. They received 300
patio pools of growing rice plants donated to them by the Spoleto
Festival after they were used in their presentation called “Water
Table” at the Memminger Elementary School. These pools were first
set up here at the CREC where the soil was placed into the pots,
fertilizer and seed added, watered to germination and then flood
was maintained until the plants were trucked to Memminger for the
presentation.
B. Merle Shepard, Ph.D., is a Professor of Entomology and the Director of Clemson University, Coastal Research and Education Center.
Hal Hanvey is Farm Manager of the facility.
According to Hal Hanvey, farm manager at the CREC, the initial rice seed came from two sources, part from a local private party and the balance from the USDA Germplasm Repository in Aberdeen, Idaho. After the first few crops, the seed generated from the private donor’s supply was returned to him. Hanvey has continued to plant crops and generate seed from the special accession rice from the Idaho facility.
One of the weak points of Carolina Gold is the height of the stalk. It is a tall growing variety and tends to fall over in the field, which reduces the yield of the crop. In an attempt to lower the grain stalk, CREC has worked with renowned rice breeder Dr. Gurdev Khush of the International Rice Research Institute. He crossed the Carolina Gold Rice with a number of modern varieties of rice hoping to develop a variety that would maintain the basic characteristics of Carolina Gold but reduce the stalk height of the plant.
CREC initially planted all of Dr. Khush’s crossed varieties, narrowing the selection to twelve varieties in 2003. This year the CREC has planted the four most successful varieties of Khush’s original twenty-five. According to Hanvey, in this final four he will be looking for the variety the best maintains the color and flavor of traditional Carolina Gold yet grows a stalk at a height more common to the modern varieties which will improve yield.
Aerially planted Carolina Gold Rice fields at Prospect
Hill Plantation being fertilized by air on July 7, 2004.
The CGRF launched this field trial to explore the feasibility of state of the art non-invasive sustainable management of CGR under a grant from Anson Mills. The fields were made available to the foundation by the McLeod Corporation, Mr. Campbell Coxe of Darlington, SC, and the Rhodes Family of Charleston.
This study is being coordinated by Hal Hanvey, farm manager of Clemson University Coastal Research and Education Center, and Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills under the supervision of Dr. Jack Rhodes and Dr. Merle Shepard. Hanvey was responsible for pre-germinating the rice, arguably the most difficult part of the study. “This is state of the art seed preparation used frequently in America’s best rice farms,” Hanvey said. “Pipping rice and broadcasting it into a flooded field results in dramatic sustainable weed suppression and a commensurate reduction in foreign variety at harvest.”
Mr. Hanvey’s travails began 3 days prior to planting. Following USDA National Organic Program guidelines he submerged 800 pounds of CGR seed in OMRI approved chelated zinc solution. He calculated the pipping time based upon ambient conditions, and previous experience with pipping rice for Clemson's sustainable field earlier this year and had to remove the rice from the solution at 1:30 am to make the planting deadline. “I had to be ready to put all 800 pounds of seed into the cooler if necessary to retard germination if the process was going too fast,” he said. “If the pipps (shoots) get too long, they tangle and won’t come out of the aircraft drop gate.”
On Friday May 21, at 7 am, Hanvey and Roberts hauled the pipped CGR to Charleston Executive Airport and assisted the crew of Steed Flying Service in loading the seed into the aircraft. The aircraft departed for Prospect Hill, broadcast the CGR seed into both fields and returned to the airport in less than 45 minutes. Don Steed, an experienced Louisiana rice crop pilot and owner of Steed Flying Service, said his aircraft can plant as many as 50 acres of rice in the same amount of time.
Hanvey and Roberts note that sustainable rice management using pipped rice and aerial planting addresses many ecological, quality and yield issues raised by continuous conventional rice management. Dr. Jack Rhodes states that both fields under study –while not officially certified organic—are managed according to USDA National Organic Program guidelines. Dr. Merle Shepard said this study focuses attention upon issues that challenge the future of conventional rice production in the Carolinas and Georgia: increasing chemical costs associated with conventional rice management, as well as depleting water resource allocation. “All of us associated with the CGRF are excited to be able to move forward and begin to answer questions arising from the intersection of Carolina Rice production, wildlife habitat and our coastal environment,” Dr. Shepard said.