River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-04-21
HARD VS.. SOFT WHEAT.
DIToRs JOURNAL:

EDITORS j OURNAL:
Dear Sifs:-In reply TO the COM
munication in last week S JOURNAL,
signed Farmer" permit me to say,
that more loose and exaggerated state
ments, or rather mistatements, of
facts CD and greater ignorance of the
subject, could not very well be con-
deDsed in the same space. For in
stance, his claim that the improved
process Of milling requires six to
seven bushels of wheat to make q
barrel of flour is an absurdity that
ten year-old boy ought not to be guilty
of. 1t requires no more wheat than
the old system. Indeed much greater
economy is claimed for the new sys-
tenn, but as matter of fact it is about
the same, requiring about five bushels
of hard wheat to make barrel of
flour. Some are doing 10 TO Is pounds
per barrel better than that. and any
mill that goes even 10 or Is pounds
over five bushels in these times of
close margins, would soon give the
sheriff a job.
The plump, clean, hard wheat,
common enough in this vicinity ten
years ago would produce a much
better barrel of flour on half bushel
less wheat than present average grades
will.
Farmer" does not meet the points
in the article he refers to, but simply
rambleS off on some loose assertions
with no arguments or proofs to back
them up. For every instance he can
show where soft wheat turns out
heavier yields, we can produce three
farmers who will admit it is not so.
One Of the largest farmers in this
vicinity told us only yesterday that
his Scotch Fife turned out much better
than his Lost Nation last season, and
that he did not want any more Lost
Nation on his farm.
Most of the comparisons made are
On very unfair basis. A farmer
plants the same Fife (0 seed year after
year, raised either on his own land or
in the immediate vicinity, no special
| care being taken even to clean, grade
and size it, and when clean. new,
plump, soft variety comes out, he sowS
it, generally giving it an extra good
chance as to condition and quality of
soil, and of course the results are an
| increased yield. Had he sent to Can
| ada or up in the Red River country,
got a hard variety of Scotch Fife,
| cleaned and sized it on the same basis
as the new specimen of soft wheat,
how would the two pan out! Why,
| the hard wheat would yield at least as
well. and of course much better
| milling wheat.
While l am well aware that there
are many instances claimed of greater
| yields for soft wheats, yet in addition
| to the above causes for the deterlca-
ton of hard wheats, there is no better
| proof that it is not the wheat that Is
| "played OUT than the fact that GER
| tain farmers, and especially those
| from the German settlement deliver
a large, plump So to 80 Id. Scotch
| Fife at our mill year after year, and
| they never raise less than Is to Is
| bushels to the acre, even IN gener-
| ally unfavorable season. No, sir, 1t
| is not the wheat, nor the soil, or
| climate that is "played out, but
| careless farming that has played 1t
out. AS if the Almighty created this
| particular part of the earths surface
| to ''run out" in twenty years! How
| is it that the farmers in England al
| iIlOSb lilNd tdulJ 1ttlHE ~ w bhoAiCiO
per acre of large, plump wheat, the
same as their forefathers did hun
| bred to two hundred years before on
the same land! Why, simply by care
| full, common-senSe farming.
But who is your daniel come to
| iudgment" all the way from Clifton!
| Why don't he come out over his own
| signature! 1t is rather doubtful.
judging by his ideas on the amount of
wheat that goes into barrel of flour,
whether he is farmer at all, and If
he is, the general tone of his article
would indicate that he is fair rep
resentative of the shiftless class who
market dirty No. grade of wheat,
get their stipend in cash, and then
want their bran and store goods on
| click
If my criticisms on your cores
pondeut are severe and personal, 1t
must be considered that such eXag-
gefations and ignorance could not be
met and refuted effectually in any
other manner. He laborS hard to
create an antagonism, OF to make it
appear that it exists between farmers
and milers. That idea exists only in
the imagination of few extremists
of which he is a type. The class of
farmers who raise their 90 bushels of
fife wheat per acre are never heard
grumbling and string up prejudices
of that sort. While of course the ag
ricultural is the great interest OF the
Northwest, and all other interests
dependent on it, yet, manufacturing
interests are also great sources OF the
wealth, development and permanent
prosperity of any country, and espec-
tally so Of new and sparseiy popu-
lated region. If all the merchant mills
of the Northwest were suddenly wiped
out. where would the farmer be! The
Governor of Minnesota has recently,
in a public speech, asserted that the
immense increase in milling, and the
scientific methods of manufacture
(about which our Clifton friend COM
plains) has added 40 cents per bushel
to the price of wheat III the North
west.
II this Farmer from Clifton
thinks we milIers are becoming rich
too fast-bloated bondholders, as it
Were-if he will come over, l will
very cheerfully sell him the Junction
Mill, stock, fixtures and good will, on
easy terms, for two-thirds its cost, as
shown by our books. And he can
easily get it at half cost by the end of
another year if he can get his ideas
on soft wheat fully carried out.
Hoping that our suburban friend,
after reading the above will see the
error of his way, | remain
Very Truly Yours,
A. A. FREEMAN.
f. D. Ensign came down from An