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
threShed.
Direct Reports From the
Counties Show a Very
Hopeful Condition.
The Same Is True of Mime
sofas Lower Red River
Counties.

The North Dakota wheat crop will
not be lost, nor will it be damaged by
the wet weather to the extent reported.
That part of it yet unthreshed may lose
grade on account of the bad weather,
but this will only be the case where the
wheat was poorly shocked. All that
was we'll 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 Il
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 we'll 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 i'll such
dark colors that Col. NJ w. Fitzgerald,
of P. Il. 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
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
we'll. Fair weather for 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 GnfavOrable 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
4 rtaG2Rg sSasB 81 ! iqSfs q I T9 Fia
grain here will be saved, though IN 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 a Portland
merchant shows:
Favorable at1POrIIand.
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 than The worst
thing about 1t is that it is making everything
late. and it will be hard for the farmers to
get their plowing done unless we get late
fall
The condition of the wheat when the
wet weather commenced will have q
great deal to do with the way it turns
out when it is threshed, as the follow
ing from Mimic, d. N, says:
Mimic Is All Right
I 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 far grade, and most of
| the wheat will be graded down to Nos and
| g. but it will all be threshed sooner or later
| If we only get n few weeks good dry weather
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 1t 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 a 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
| unfaYorab,e weather, things are not nearly
| so bad as you have been informed. | do not
| look on the matter as Il calamity, if the
| weather stays fine from this out Wheat
| standing in the shocks will be Knocked down
| one or two grades, and, perhaps, i'll 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
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-iust
enough to keep farmers behind with
threShing-DO 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 rectitied 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
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 portion of letter from
| Hallock, Kittson county:
During the rainy days we thought great
| deal of damage was done to the crops, but
| we feared. 1t is clear to-day 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