St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-29

had received few weeks earlier The
prices he received ranged from 81 to
80 cents. This was the first wheat cut
from the crop and was as good as he
had ever raised, but
HE HAD NO ALTERNATIVE
but to accept the pittance the masters
OF the market were willing to dole out
to him. Between the knocking down
or the grade, the spread in prices and
the excessive dockage Mr. Whelan had
ample cause for complaint. He would
have held his wheat until the blockade
was raised, but his granary was full
and there were no sacks to be obtained
In the local market, SO he must either
sell or dump his wheat on the ground
The discrimination in dockage was
something that Mr.. Whelan could not
understand, and it is indeed a strange
condition of affairs. When his wheat
was graded No. / hard at Donaldson the
dockage was only half a pound, but
when, later in the season, he was forced
to sell the same wheat for No. north
ern, the dockage was two pounds to the
bushel which was further loss to the
seller of cent on every bushel sold
Then there was the spread in prices,
which was two cents more between
the lower grades than the difference
between them at the terminals. Taking
1t altogether, Mr.. Whelan lost between
five and six cents, at least on every one
of the 1900 bushels sold during the
blockade
That is not all of his experience, for
he was offered only No. for some of
the same wheat by three of the
houses before he secured the grade Of
No. northern from the fourth After
the market was opened at Warren, and
the effect was felt all along the line, he
sold Of who Of
hard, the highest grade he received for
some of it at the commencement of the
season. Had he accepted the offer of
the houses that were willing to buy his
wheat only as No. 8, the difference be-
tween the highest and the lowest offers,
including the loss Of a cent on account
of excessive dockage, would have been
eight cents bushel. Had he been able
to secure cars for direct shipment this
would have been saved and the two
cents for handling charges of the ele-
vator company as we'll. This shows
the difference between the local and
terminal markets. during the rush when
the largest amount of grain was mar
keted, to have been 10 cents a busheI.
Mr.. WhelanlJ said he saw the returns
from car that was shipped direct to
West Superior and graded No. north
ern. The best offer the farmer could
get at Stephen was No. 8, and the gain
by shipping direct, there being no
change in the markets, was eight cents
bushel. Mr.. Whelan thought the ele-
vator companies had
GIVEN BETTER WEIGHTS
this year than formerly He was not
guessing, for he had weighed the wheat
in the presence of others before hauling
1t to the elevator, and, as the wheat was
tied up in sacks, 1t did not shrink be-
tween the farm and the elevator scales
The rule invariably was that the eleva-
tor would either reduce the grain
grade or take fifty pounds out of every
load delivered. Not only had Mr. Whe-
Ian weighed his own wheat to make
this test, but he had been present when
other farmers had weighed their wheat
and when it was weighed in by the ele-
vator company. There was no excep-
ton to the rule. for the producer either
lost grade or fifty pounds on every
load, and sometimes both.
The farmers committee arranged with
L. M1kkelson to assist them In loading
and shipping their wheat. He had
crew of men to help load the cars and
he aided in making out the necessary
papers for theltransactions of the farm
ers. Mr. Mikkelson gave the CORE
spondent several Instances which show
that the farmer had gained by doing
business DIRECT at the terminal market
Peter Johnson, who lives east of Ste
phen, made $48 on one car shipped to
West Superior.
Henry Hum; another farmer living
east of town, could not get an offer bet
ter than rejected for his wheat He
shipped fourecarloads, and the result
was that he made from $50 to SAL on