The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1872-04-11
SEED WHEAT.
From, the Farmers Unios,

4 - eWs SEED WHEAT.
| - Il %,--E + s%$
Fren" the Farmers Unio,. : So =
On the subject OF seed wheat, allow
me togive you a few points. Enclosed
in New York Produce Exchange daily
official circular, which please examine
In milling my experience in Minnesota
dates from 1895. You will observe
the New York quotations Of -four vary
from time to time, but does mot change
one long we'll established fact, that is
that Minnesota spring wheat aoura
bring more money than that of Wis.
consiu aud Iowa, For instance, sales
February "a, 1872, Iowa -four ranges
1875 to $7.75, while Minnesota
stands s7.25 to 50 per barrel. This
is no accidental matter. TIE average
Of the year or of years gives Minnesota
steadily 81 to sl.25 per barrel more
money than is paid for Wisconsin or
Iowa spring wheat flours. The cause
for Minnesota taking tho lead cannet
lie iu the superior knowledge of her
KILLERS, or of machinery, over tho othc,
States named. This being fact, VIC
must 90 little further to find the
true cause In tho early settlement Of
| our State, seed wheat was introduced
by various persons, ordinarily mere
matter of fancy as to what kind. The
result was that in Rice and adjoining
| counties NO had several varieties, such
as Scotch Fife, Rio Grande, Nam.
moth Tea, Canada Club and Black
Sea. There may have been other
varieties, but these were all distinctive
kinds. o. spring and winter wheats
there is grown several varieties, whose
distinctive qualities are all enumerated
under the following headings, Of hard
or flint, medium hard, and SOFT
Scotch Fife and Tea class as medium
Black Sea as hard, and the others
uamed as soft. The writer imported
Scotch Fife from Canada at different
periods, and the result of few years
without any effort, except that which
the common sense observation CT our
farmers furnished, We had but the one
variety Scotch Fife. 1t is fact SEEM
ly we'll established, that wheat becomes
acclimated in about eight years, and
should be renewed by new importation.
Local charges are good, but the more
cffectual are importation from DIS
lance, more northerly to = southern
section. Years of use of the same
kind Of wheat, coupled with two fire.
quent cropping of the same land, has
resulted in diminished production, and
a consequent desire for new things,
new kinds of seed wheat, The ques-
ton naturally arises, what SIS best, and
in connection with it, why has Mime
sofa wheat and -four stood so high in
our eastern markets p? For milling,
Scotch Fife as medium hard wheat,
has been found superior to all others.
Being glutinous, it makes a strong
-four, needed as bakers mixture /.
give character and lip to the wntcr and
spring wheat fours, made from soft
wheat, and while Wisco1 sin and Iowa
have been growing the soft varieties, in
fact the whole Western country,
Minnesota has beeo left comparatively
alone IN the production Of hard wheat
making strong -four, and without COM
petition in our large Eastern cities.
The question may naturally be asked,
why is not the great difference in four
not more observable iE our wheat.
Milwaukee Northern wheat is worth
more than Chicago, but as our wheat
does not reach the purchaser at Mil
waukee or New York without being
subj eoted to mixing in the elevators
at Milwaukee with shipments of Wis
consin and Iowa, its distinctive merits
are lost The question today is, are
We to lose our supremacy by the fool
ish introduction of soft wheats?
Millers have in the past year paid on
an average within ten cents OF Milwau.
koo prices, often within five. Place
Minnesota 1ours on level with those
Of Wisconsin and Iowa, and our wheat
production is ut once lcssenod in value
with all millers of our State, full Is to
20 cents per bushel. Practically it is
self evident that we will best serve our
recuniary interests in the production of
wheat, BY growing those kinds, or that
kind, which will pay best in price and
certainly of on average crop yearly.
Those kinds Of wheat usually known
as tho highest or finest grades are
more subject to casualties, such as
smut, r1st, winter killing lodging, etc
As can raise but one crop in the year,
that kind which gives assurance Of tue
most certain, largest average yield, is
our necessary point. For instance,
Scotch, Fife stood up we'll, never rust.
ing, more hardy than any of the softer
varieties, medium flint; this or some
other variety possessing the same quail
tiles is what We now want. Black Sea,
Imported in l849, from Russia, by the
Messrs, Laymans of Montreal, Canada,
in few years gave to Eastern Canada
and portion OF Upper Canada a sur
plus, at time when all other failed.
This after a time ran out, and Scotch
Fife took its place.
The origin Of the Scotch Fife l
have never been able to clearly ascer.