The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1892-03-16
RAISE WHEAT AND BUILD MILLS.
Facts Which Show that South Carolina
Can Make Her Own Bread.
From News and Courier

From News and Courier
A dispatch published in The Sunday
News last Sunday, States that Mr.. ).
H. Johnson, of Blakely, Minnesota,
who is described IS being an ardent
advocate of Farmers Alliance doc
trines, has published letter to the far
mers, urging them to organize Far
mers' All .ance milling associations,
which has excited great deal OF in
terest and comment in his nelghbor-
hood.
Mr.. Johnson, who is himself the
owner of a fifty barrel flour mill,
maintains, as reported, that the far
mers of the Dakotas and Minnesota
alone, "have lost S2S,0O0,0O0 on wheat
sold up to December s, 1891, of this
years crops" and proceeds to show
the farmers their folly in not building
their own mills and thereby securing
81 bushel for their wheat, with ton
of feed per hundred bushels, together
with some minor advantages. Any
community that can produce $1,000
bushels of wheat" he says, "can there
by keep a tifty-barrel mill running for
a year, and such a mill can he built for
$1,000.
This is the testimony Of practical
miller, whose experience has been ac-
quired in the heart CT the chief wheat
raising and flour making district of the
country, and there appears to be matter
in it which is worthy of the considera-
ton of some of the farmers in South
Carolina. The main points are as fol-
lows:
"Any community, district or coun-
ty." says Mr.. Johnson, that can pro-
duce $4,000 bushels Of wheat can keep
fifty-barrel mill running" South
Carolina produced $4,000 bushels of
wheat last year, as that number is re-
ported by the United States agricultu-
raj department-and probably pro-
duced over million bushels, if all were
reported.
On this basis the State, or the up
per counties, where most of the wheat
is raised, would support dozen fifty
barrel flour mills, which would be
notable addition to the industrial equip
ment of those counties, and Of the
State.
No particular attention was paid to
wheat raising in this State last year,
we believe. 1t is probable, then, that
the one-million bushel crop of last
could easily be doubled and if so then
the wheat growing section could easily
support twenty or more fifty barrel
mills. There is not a county in the
section probably that could not readily
grow 100000 or 200, 900 bushels, at least,
and this would give prosperous mills to
each county.
The cost of constructing a mill Of the
indicated capacity, as stated by an ex-
pert, is $1,000. This is much less than
the cost of a cotton factory or even a
cotton seed oil mill. There is not a
community" in the up country that
cannot afford to build such mill, and
| that would not be glad to build one,
| with or without pecuniary aid from the
| farmers.
The presence of mill in any county
would be an inducement and help to
the wheat farmers to raise more wheat;
more farmers would go into the busi-
ness; and a deversification Of crops
would be effected in that region. The
"minor advantages" to the farmers of
having for use or sale all the by-pro-
duets of their wheat-bran, seconds and
shorts-we take it are too fully under
! stood to REQUIRE more than mere men
| ton.
The mills need not be confiued to
flour making. It was stated a few days
ago by business man Of Charleston
that 10000 barrels Of "grits," are i'm
ported into the State from the west
every year-our people paying thou
sands of dollars annually for this one
article which could as we'll be produced
at home, and getting product that is
inferior in every quality except white
ness to the homemade article. AS
much may be said of corn meal, which
is imported at cost of many thousands
more-the aggregate for corn and corn
| products alone running up into the
! millions annually. The local flour mills
! co, supplement their w:.eat product:
| with corn products equally to their OWL
advantage and that Of the farmers
who would thus have new and valu
| able outlet for their corn crops.
| ANY community that can produce
IS 900 bushels of wheat, says Mr.. John
! son, can keep a fifty barrel flour mil
running for year and the mill can b.
built for $1,000. Any agricultural O
other community in South Carolina
therefore, that thinks such mill AM
; its attendants advantage worth tn
having would do we'll to look into tn
subject, consult Mr.. johnson, and tax
| steps to have mill built by the tim
4 the next wheat crop natures.