River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-02-14


the value of Minnesota -four ranging
in price in the eastern markets $l.50
q $500 per barrel above the best win
ter wheat flour. AT that time Minne-
sofa was raising purely hard wheat
1.-THE old Scotch Fife) and the millers
here minneapolis were then making
money; result to be attributed to
the same cause-hard wheat.
''Some mills that were able to show
up net profits formerly of $50, 900 to
100000 year, have in the past two
lost or sunk money" "We
have not far to go to discover the cause
of this. Six years ago the new varle-
ties of soft wheat were introduced in
Minnesota, and because they yielded
well, rapidly grew into favor with
farmers. The supply of hard wheat
grew short and millers were forced to
mix with soft grades to such an ex-
tent as to deterioate the quality of
their flour. Fife had been sown year
after year on the same ground, and
there could be but one result-a heavy
decrease in the yield. This expert
ence has been repeated in the case of
soft varieties which supplanted fife,
and the ordinary farmer is now at a
loss to know what to do about seed
wheat. There is but one way out of
the woods, and that is to rest the soil
by pasturing it or planting with some
thing besides wheat for two or three
years out of every ten
"The tendency of all wheats, as of
other seeds, is to run itself out. Elk
perience has shown however, thBt an
annual change of seed is profitable ev-
en- though the fresh seed be grown
within so or 40 miles,"
"Tests have been made in which -four
made from purely hard wheat have
given from 25 TO 40 pounds more of
bread per barrel that made from
soft. This being a fact there is much
more intrinsic value in the hard wheat
-FOUR In commenting on the yield
of the five counties mentioned for IA
years they say: 1.-THE figures cannot
be equalled by any similar group OF
purely soft wheat counties, and even
if they could, there would remain
against the soft wheat the all impor-
tant difference in price-l0 to 20 cents
per bushel less than No. l hard fife"
The above quotations cover most of
the essential points in the article re.
ferred to, though it would present a
stronger argument if given as whole.
With regard to Blue Stem wheat,
while it is no doubt the best next to
fife. vet before farmers seed another
crop of it they should have the differ
ence in its milling vaLWe pointed out,
and not be misled by the seeming
small difference in the price at River
Falls. In the first place the fife wheat
is more or less mixed, and that de-
preciates the relative value of it with |
good Minnesota fife. In the second |
place we are paying more than rela-
tive milling value for blue stem as
will be shown below by actual test of
the llours. No such small difference in |
price can be maintained much longer, |
there is every reason to believe that |
Minneapolis (Which, say what you
will, makes the price on your wheat
will another season discriminate still
heavier against everything but fife
wheat. Under the wide differences
already made on the present crop
deliveries, Minnesota farmers are en-
couraged to go in for fife this spring,
as is shown already by the efforts
made to secure the best seed.
II is very evident that blue stem
wheat has had its run anyhow and is
on the decline, and if that is true why
not change off to fife seed from dis
lance! IF there is any enthusiastic
blue stem farmer who wants to back
his opinion, the writer will wager on
fife anywhere from $50 to $500 on
both yield and dollars and costs.
Fife and blue stem be sown under ex-
actly equal conditions. Now for the
test on the quality of the two fiours.
Some of our patent flour WAS recent
ly tested in large s'bread factory in
Glasgow, where they get right down
to solid scientific facts. They have to
where they bake 1000 to 5000 lar
rels of flour weekly into bread. On
our all home wheat (mostly blue stem)
ground in October and having all the
benefits of age as against Minnesota
Fife much fresher ground, the actual
difference in yield of bread was equal
to little over shillings sterling per
go lbs. of flour, or about 65 cts. our
currency per 1916 lbs. flour, which is
equal to about Ii cts. per bu. on the
wheat required to make 1876 lbs. of
flour. This makes no account of the
difference in quality of the bread, and
then there is further marked DIFF
ference to the miller in the yield of
-four and general results in manufaet-
uring the fife. 1t so happened also
that the two fiours mentioned. sold in
Glasgow within day or two of each
other at exactly IS cts. per 1916 lbs.
difference. Is it any wonder we go
to Minnesota to bring in fife wheat!
Do you imagine we would do so if we
could get it at homel 1t is not likely
we would pay extra freights, commits
sions, and add greatly to the work and |
detail of our business for the mere