River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-07-18
IMPORTANT TO FARMERS.

a subject of great Importance. viz:
The marked deterioration in the aver
age quality of wheat raised in the VI
entity of River Falls.
The same is more or less true OF
many other localities, but my remarks
and criticisms will refer chiefly to the
farmers of your immediate vicinity.
believe it will be generally admit
ted that sample of even reasonably
pure fife wheat is, comparatively
speaking, rare exception, while the
rule is large mixture of all sorts of
soft and mongrel wheats--eyen III
what is claimed to be fife wheat.
| don't intend to enter into any ex-
tended argument as to the respective
merits of the different varieties of
wheat for milling purposes, but will
simply make the assertion that OF all
the numerous kinds yet introduced in
the North West, fife wheat has proved
the best and stood the test of time the
longest.
| am we'll aware that many farmers,
while admitting this, will claim a larg-
er Weld for Lost Nation, OF some other
wheat. / deny that and challenge the
proof.
Where has there been any test made
under exactly equal conditions 5!
When some new tangled sample OF
wheat comes out from the Department
of Agriculture or from abroad, what
is done with it!
In the first place it is invariably a
perfect sample of plump. uniform
grain. is it not! 1t is very carefully
mt IN .,.qq,, Inssseat piece of land the farm
+ ef las. lie product is kept free from
mixture with other wheats and next
year is cultivated under like careful
conditions. The result is in two
OF three years large yield of uniform
good sized, well developed grains.
Now suppose some one had at the
same time obtained a sample OF the
hest specimen of pure hard fife that
Minnesota could produce, and treated
it precisely as the soft wheat expert
ment referred to above. What would
the result be Why, as great a yield
at least, and better quality, of course.
If one-half the attention had been
given to the careful selection and i'm
provement of fife wheat. In the past
five years, that has been given to run
ming after every new seed that came
out, there would be a far better av-
erage quality of wheat marketed there
than there is now.
The mere fact that anything in the
shape of wheat will sell tor export
on this crop is no argument for raising
mixed and inferior soft wheats.
The best customer for the farmer
one year with another, is the miller,
and it is to the best interest of the
farmer to raise what the latter wants.
1t is also to the interest of the gener-
al business community. You have no
mill within circuit OF twenty miles
of River Falls Ton the Wisconsin side)
that has established any prominent
reputation in Eastern markets, and
why? Simply because you have not
the quality of wheat.
You have at River Falls as good
mill as there is In Minnesota, with as
good machinery, as much of it, and
run as well, and yet it cannot COM
pete with a few of the Minnesota mills
located where they get regular sup
plies of hard fife wheat.
To point out a remedy, except in a
sort OF general way, would require
more space than you would probably
be willing to allow me. | would sug-
gest to farmers to take immediate ac-
ton to secure next year s seed. Ii the
Red River wheat which Freeman &
Stephens brought in last year has
turned out well, farmers should Sc
cure the very best that was raised.
Along the Cannon Rivers in Mime
sofa, particularly at Dundas, North
Go1I EaJt lie ,...p
of the cleanest hard fife is raised, with
the least mixture of inferior WheatS
of any other section | know of. Imay
say, in passing that this is due largely
to the effort of Messrs. Archibald at
Dandas, who have taken great pains
for years past in securing choice seed,
and inducing farmers to adhere to fife
wheat and avoid soft varieties.
OF course there is mixed up with
this question the matter of rotation of
crops and various other agricultural
theories, which propose to touch as
lightly as possible, as might find my
self foundering in deep water. | pre-
sumo that nothing but experience will
convince the average NorthW estern
farmer that no soil yet discovered will
stand fifteen to twenty-five years of
constant cropping of wheat. A large
part of Wisconsin, and nearly all of
Iowa, which formerly produced just
as strong wheat and flour as Minneso-
ia does now, are considered ''run out
for wheat. There is not mill in the
whole state of Iowa that has any rep
utation on flour in Eastern markets.
in fact a large number of mills that
formerly did a tlourishing business,
have gone out of existence. And why!
Because the quality of their wheat has
degenerated, and from the same causes
in operation in your vicinity,
Should any of your readers, and par
ticulsrly farmers, consider any of my
assertions unwarranted | invite criti-
cism and should be pleased to enter
into discussion of any of the points
referred to.
| do not intend at all to be sweep
ing in my criticism. There are a few
farmers who have labored earnestly
in the direction of improvement and
they prove what can be done. / claim
that careful and persistent effort
would in time largely increase the
yield of fife wheat and produce amuch
size berry. Why will not The same
system operate in this as in improving
horses and cattle in which farmers as
a rule are very careful, while IN rails
ing wheat as rule they are very
careless las to the selection of seed at
least) and certainly embarrassing in
your community is far more important
than any other one agricultural inter-
est.
am well aware that great deal
of the fault lies right at the door of
millers and wheat shippers more es-
pecially the latter who have all paid
just about one price for all sorts of
wheat, thus doing great injustice to
careful farmers. So far as can be
made practicable Freeman & Stephens
propose in their purchases to remedy