Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1894-02-01
WHEAT N FLOUR.
Mr.. Colver Has Something to Say on the
Subject.

EDITOR ARGUS: l think the articles
of C. w. and Mr.. Fergus on wheat are
very timely, for it is certainly wrong
condition of affairs when the people
are using eastern, Bozeman and Great
Falls flour, while our own mill that
can make just as good flour Is lying
idle; and the farmers, with just as
good wheat al can befound anywhere,
feeding it to hogs for want OF a mar
ket, notwithstanding Mr.. Fergus
statement that one cannot buy a
bushel at the munificent price of one
cent per pound.
If the mills are idle now and the
people using foreign flour, why is it?
Mr.. Fergus plainly says it is owing to
the shiftless method of farming. An
imputation which the farmers should
not rest patiently under, as they
know it is not so.
Now let Hs look at the situation.
Farmers were urged during the winter
of 1890 and 1891 to make every effort
to raise good wheat and plenty of it
the following year. And, notwith-
standing that seed was so scarce that
they paid the miller 4c. per pound or
S2.4O per bushel for it, they did raise
a large crop. So large that the miller
said he did not believe he could use
near all of it. The farmers, instead of
finding a market, could not sell one
bushel at any price. When they tried
to get it made into -four, nj matter
how good the wheat, they found they
could not depend on getting good
flour. Many of the farmers have
wheat from that year yet, as there
has never been a market for it from
that day to this at the mill, with the
exception of a month or two last sum-
mer. So the farmer has been forced
to hold his wheat, and now if hetakes
it to the mill and exchanges it for the
best grade of flour. he has to give three
pounds of wheat for one pound OF
flour and gets no bran.
He can sell this same wheat at the
stores and to neighbors Ia few sacks
at a rime) for from one and one-fourth
to one and one-halt cents per pound,
and have to stand no dockage on
weight, as he does at the mill. Thus
he can get more eastern flour OF the
very best brands for the samea amount
of wheat.
Ihave wheat that have held since
the summer of 1891 for want of a
market at the Lewistown mill. This
is the same wheat as that from which
Mr.. Fergus says he received flour az
good as the best Dakota brands
Still Mr.. Fred Colver and myself had
taken this wheat to the mill severaI
times, and could not get flour which
our families could use. But the -four
Mr.. Fergus got was ground in his
name. This same wheat l sold in
Great Falls, and got the very tor
price in competition with eastern
wheat.
II we had a railroad, instead of Da
kota farmers shipping their wheat il
here and selling it at our mill as Mr.
Fergus says they would do, we would
long ago have been shipping our wheat
out, getting our money for it, ane
raising more, instead of having kept
what we had and paying taxes on it
Instead of raising more wheat we hav'
had to turn our attention to NOR,
profitable crops.
Our mill can make good flour, Al
our miller has proved. We can rails
good wheat and plenty OF it, as WI
have proved. And it seems as if Their
might be some way in which the money
that is continually going out for foul
might he kept here. Give us a market
and, the Lord willing, we farmers will
raise the wheat.
CHARLES P. CoLvER.