Why is georgia's coast a natural place to grow rice?

1 How did the settlers of Georgia find out that they could grow rice?

Everything they grew was by trial and error. If one crop didn't grow, they would try something else. They found out that the swampy land along the Ogeechee, Altamaha, and Savannah Rivers was perfect for growing rice.

2. What were the two major hazards of growing rice in this area?

1) The Rice birds would eat all of the rice plants and wipe out the crop.

2) When there was a hurricane or strong winds, the salt water would get into the swampy areas and wipe out the crop for that year and possibly 2-3 years beyond that.

3. What was the Battle of the Rice Boats?

This was the first Revolutionary battle in Georgia in March, 1776. The British needed food, so they sailed past Tybee Island, intending to steal several rice boats without a fight. The Patriots surprised the British by sending cannon fire across Savannah harbor. The British stole the only ships not burning. It showed the British that the Georgia colonists were willing to fight for their independence.

4. Even though rice was a profitable crop, why was rice not more widely traded after the Revolutionary War?

There were only a few places in Georgia where rice could be cultivated, and the British refused to buy rice from the colonies following the war.

Cotton, however, could be grown in most of the other areas of Georgia, including the Piedmont. Other than the boll weevil, it was almost indestructible and grew fast. Also, after the war, it brought more money on the international market than rice.

Activities:

1. Research the growing of rice. If possible, find a rice plant or two and plant it in a pot the way it would be done on a rice plantation. (Because it needs so much water, it would be hard for students to understand this kind of planting unless they could actually see it.)

Also (or instead of finding a plant), make a cutaway drawing of how a rice plant is planted and grows. Answer this question: Why is the Georgia coast a natural place to grow rice?

2. Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of making rice Georgia's major crop.

Make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of making cotton Georgia's major crop.

Vocabulary

chaff: the husks of grains and grasses that are separated during threshing

delta: an area made of silt, sand, and pebbles that forms at the mouth of a river usually in a triangular form

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