Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1899-03-09
FARMERS PROTEST
Wheat Raiser Shows up Folly
of Government Crop
Reports.

lowing reply to letter Of inquiry from
the agricultural department at Washing
ton. The complaint against the depart
ments advance publication OF United
States crop reports, is believed to be a
just one, and the reasons given by why
such reports should be discontinued are
sound, from the farm point OF view.
jamestown, N. D. March 3rd, 1899.
Mr.. F. V. Coville,
Washington, d. G.
DEAR SIR:-Your favor enclosing
"Locoweed Inquiry" blanks was duly
received. Ihave not heard of any Injury
to stock from such source in this locality
The superintendent of our city schools
is quite botanist, and referred the
matter to him. He tells me that there
is no such weed in this section of the
country.
Allow me to say that think the Ag1i
cultural Department is doing good work
in prosecuting such inquiries in the in
terest Of the farmers and stock ralsers of
the country. It is not practicable for
farmers to secure scientific information
upon SUBJECTS that are OF great import
snce them, and the department IN secur-
ing reliable information must aid them
very materially; but I cannot refrain
from expressing my conviction that the
Agricultural Bureau at Washington Is q
very serious injury to the farmers in the
matter Of securing and publishing in-
formation in regard to their products.
II statistics were gathered by the de-
psrtment and published for 1898 in July
1899 no objection could be raised, but
for the government to begin estimating
the amount Of ground to be sowed to a
particular sort OF grain, and then follow
that crop up through seeding and all
through the growing season keeping the
buyers OF our grain thoroughly posted as
to just what We are going to produce, is
piece of stupendous folly, considered
from the standpoint OF the farmer, and I
assume that this department was organ
lied in the interest OF the agricultural
class. I think the menufact urers of this
country would not permit such unwar-
ranted interference by the government
between them and their customers. II
our products were constantly diminish
ing instead of constantly increasing the
situation would be different.
The recent statement by the depar'.
ment that the United Snates produce d
675 million bushels OF wheat the past
year, and the deduction therefrom that
200 million bushels is now 10 farmers
hands will cost the farmers Of this
country any where from one to three
million dollars ia my opinion. The only
time that a manufacturer tells his
customers that he has over prod uced, is
when he is ready to sacrifice on his
goods, and this is sensible. When q
man uouvlnces me that he is largely over
stocked with an article that / have got
to buy, expect to buy it cheap. but If
he is a good business man be does not
attempt to convince me OF that fact,
unless he Is going to increase his sales
bv giving out tLis information. We do
not sell any more wheat by telling the
world that we have a big surplus on
hand. Consumption is not increased by
such information. 1t seems to me that
Russia pursuee more sensible policy
than We are doing. She is not sdver-
tsng TO the world just what she is
doing. 1t seems plain enough to me
that pu blshing such information on the
part OF the government is 10 the interest
OF the consuming class, and not in that
OF the producers. 1t the world WAS pro-
ducing less wheat than WAS needed for
consumption one year in two, the stu.
alton would be different.
The farmers in general have such
notions ss have set forth above. They
do not express them for they have no
wey OF dong 90. ~