St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-10-18
Crop Reports From North Da-
kota Have Been Grossly
Exaggerated.
Not Over Twenty Per Cent Of
the Wheat Will Be I'm
thpeShed.
Direct Reports From the
Counties Show a Very
Hopeful Condition.
The Same Is True Of Mime
sofas Lower Red River
Counties.


not be lost, nor will it be damaged by
the wet weather to the extent reported.
That part of it yet unthreshed may lose
a grade on account of the bad weather,
but this will only be the case where the
wheat was poorly shocked. All that
was well shocked or properly stacked
will be turned out in good shape. The
change i'll the weather has started
threShing all along the line again, and
while it may take until near the first OF
January to complete the work of sepa-
rating the grain from the straw, it will
all be done.
That things are in as good shape as
they are is largely due to the interest
taken in the matter by the jobberS of st.
Paul, who, on hearing that there was a
great lack of men and machines to take
care of the phenomenal crop, spared
neither time nor effort in supplying
that need as far as possible. While
there is yet room for many more ma
chimes as we'll as men, most localities
have been tolerably well taken care OF.
The reports to the effect that the wheat
was growing in the stack throughout a
portion of North Dakota were so numer-
Gus and painted the situation in such
dark colors that Col. NJ. w. Fitzgerald,
of p. II. l.. Hardenbersh IL Co., took oc-
casiOn early last week to write letters to
customers of the firm in all parts of the
district where such danger was report
ed. Answers have been received from
a large number of the principal points
already and they put quite different
face on the matter, showing that the
damage has not been so great as report
ed. and that everything now looks very
well. Fair weather for a few weeks
will about fix things. Three letters are
from enterprising merchants and close
observers and furnish some interesting
facts. From st. Thomas, n. D., came
the following:
Not Unfavorable at st. Thomas.
Although we have had a month or more of
wet weather, the farmers have during that
time taken advantage Of every fair day and
stacked what they could. To-day they are
ram ram = i si nj mat III me
grain here will be saved, though IN q dam
aged condition. and hauling and marketing
will of necessity be late. We do not feel at
all discouraged, however. because If prices
keep up and we get fair weather even now
farmers will have good return.
The weather looked quite different at
Portland, n. d.. last Thursday, the day
the letter above quoted was written, as
the following letter from Portland
merchant shows:
Favorable atuPOrtIand
The reports regarding our wheat crop are
way Off The weather has cleared and all
the machines started this morning. The crop
has been damaged some, but do not think
there is a shock standing but what will be
threshed. 1t is the largest average crop
farmers have ever had here, running from
twenty-five to forty bushels per acre. Even
with poor grade there will be more money
in the crop than i'll most years. The worst
thing about 1t is that it is making everything
late, and it will be hard for the farmers to
get their p1owing done unless we get u late
fall.
The condition of the wheat when the
wet weather commenced will have a
great deal to do with the way it turns
out when it is threshed. as the follow
ing from Mimic, ID. N, says:
Mimic Is All Right
1 have talked with some of our best farm
ers, and they say that most of the what that
has been out in the shock all through the
rainy season, where IL has been fairly
shocked, will bring fair grade, and most of
the wheat will be graded down to Nos. and
3, but it will all be threshed sooner or later
If we only get few weeks good dry we ather
now it will help out wonderfully. The rain
has not hurt the wheat so much as one would
think; at least / am told so by men who
ought to know. The wheat is here and lots
of it, and although it will be graded down
there is SO much of it that 1t will bring good
deal of money. There will be as much money
realized out of this crop as out of the last
two or three together.
Drayton is located in the Red River
valley, north of Grand Forks, and in the
midst of great wheat country. The
following shows how misleading the
reports have been that have been sent
out regarding the wheat in that locality:
Grade Low, but Crop Good.
The reports which you have concerning
the state of the wheat crops IN our vicinity
are very erroneous. While we have had very
unfavOrabie weather, things are not nearly
so bad as you have been informed. | do not
look on the matter as a calamity, if the
weather stays fine from this out Wheat
standing in the shocks will be Knocked down
one or two grades, and, perhaps, in some
cases three grades; but even that. with the
enormous CROPS and high prices, will exceed
anything we have ever had. No. 3 wheat
brings more this year than No. l usually
brings.
You have been misInformed," writes
a Cando. n. d., merchant, ''aS to the
damage done our wheat so far. While
it is true we have had great deal of
light rains and cloudy weather-just
enough to keep farmers behind with
threShing-nO serious damage has been
done in this locality. Wheat threshed
from the stack is all right, while that
from the shock will be knocked down
one or two grades"
Same Reports From Minnesota.
In this same tenor run a dozen more
letters from Grafton, Buxton, Niche,
Petersburgh, Lisbon, Bisbee, Osna-
brock, Bottineau and Pembina. The
damage done by rain has been greatly
overestimated. The rain has not been
of a steady, soaking nature, but
has been followed by streaks of sun
shine and dry winds that have almost
Immediately rectified the damage done
by the rain. Proof of this is found in
the fact that not one of the reports say
anything concerning wheat growing in
the stack or shock. The dry intervals
have prevented this. But the wet
weather has not been confined to North
Dakota any more than the erroneous
reports have, From Polk, Norman,
Marshall and Kittson counties, in Min
nesota, have come reports fully as bad
as those from North Dakota points.
Bat the reports furnished were not cor
rect Here is a portion of letter from
Hallock, KittsOn county:
During the rainy days we thought a great
| deal of damage was done to the crops but
investigation shows that it was not so pad as
we feared. II is clear today friday and if
| it keeps on lots of threshing will be done yet.
| | do not think the damage will exceed 20 per
| cent The trouble is here all the farmers
want to thresh out of the shock.
From Fisher, Polk county, comes the
report that the damage from rain will
be slight, nea rly all the wheat being in