Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1894-01-25
"A Talk ON Wheat"

LEwIsTowN, Mont, Jan. 20, 1898.
ED. ARGUS: The issue of tine pre-
vious week containing an article en-
titled "a Talk on Wheat" by Mr..
James Fergus, is worthy of comment
and the advice therein given to farm
ers should be needed. However, on
one point in Mr.. Fergus article, l
and many others cannot agree with
him. With all due respect to the
venerable gentleman and in justice to
the farmers / must say that he has
been grossly misinformed as to the
cause of the lack of wheat grown with
in reach of the Judith Basin Roller
Mill. 1t would be a boon to the farm
ers if Mr.. Fergus had turned the tables
and given the miller some very much
needed advice. Had Mr.. Fergus had
the experience that nine-tenths oil the
wheat growers of this vicinity have
had with the mill since it's inaugura-
ton without a doubt he would be
convinced that the fault lies entirely
with the miller. Let the farmers at
test and listen to their side of the
story. 1t is quite true that some
shiftless farmers have been raising
stuff called wheat, as Mr.. Fergus puts
it, and by their negligence have al
lowed foul seeds to be scattered to
neighboring farms, also by threshing
machines, changing sacks, birds, wind,
etc. But this is all no excusefor the mil
Ter. If he would act somewhere nearly
fair the farmers would soon remedy
this weed seed pest. The trouble is
the farmer who has good wheat is
bilked almost Is bad rs if his product
was the SO called stuff. He therefore
receives no encouragement for his ef-
fort to present good merchantable
wheat.
No one, | hope, expects the miller to
turn out good flour from poor wheat.
However, he has managed somehow
to come pretty near it. Now, if he
knew his business, which l thought he
did, he would not mark an inferior
quality of flour with the best brand.
This procedure is unjust to all con-
cerned, most notably to the producer,
because if any receivinga sack of flour
bearing the BEST" brand, it is taken
for granted that it is good, but when
on trial they find that it is not so, in
variably they will say that good flour
cannot be made put here and the con-
sequence is that they buy flour bear
ing a reliable brand. 1t does not fol-
low, however, that this is always the
case. AS q matter of fact they can
not be blamed. Who then is to blame?
Not the farmer, because it has been
proven beyond a doubt that fir t
class wheat "a be grown here and
therefore l say that the miller is solely
to blame for the present state of
affairs. Too avaricious to deal hon.
estly, first he will obtain a poor quail
ity OF wheat at a low price and then
manufacture it into flour and mark
and sell it for the top price. l do not
deny but he is able with good wheat
to make good flour. but why can he
be honest about it and mark
flour according to its true value, here
is where the principal trouble lies.
Again, no doubt there are a few farm
ers who endeavor to produce and pre-
sent first class wheat, but what is
their verdict? If the grain requires
some cleaning, which it does however
clean it comes from the thresher, the
miller here gets in his work and comes
out ahead to start with. How can
the grower ascertain the amount of
waste; he must simply take the mil
ler's word for the result. Now, if the
grower wishes to exchange his product
for -four. here again the miller takes
flour or II decided shortage in weight.
The farmers as a class are willing to
take the worst of it occasionally, but
to be continually robbed in this way,
they soon cometo the conclusion that
they are making few rich and a large
number poorer every year, who de-
serve better treatment after having
assisted so materially in establishing
the milling plant. But evidently Mil
Ter Stiles and his associates came out
here to reap the benefits OF the pio-
neer's hardships and trials.
Let us please hear from other grow
ers and any one interested in the well
fare of our great county and in some
way to find a remedy, perhaps, as Mr..
Hopkins has already proposed, in 20
operative milling. Yours, c. w.