Brookings weekly register. (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1898-1903, 1901-02-28
EYE, EAR. NOSE AND
TIL ROAT.
DR.. Preston, specialist, at DR.. Mil.
ler's March l3.
MacarOni Wheat.

Last Friday special from Trip,
S. d. stated that the macaroni wheat
recently imported from Russia by
Secretary OF Agriculture Wilson, had
been grown successfully for the past
twenty-five years by the German Rus
slams near Trip, the original seed
having been brought by them from
Russia at the time they emigrated,
Prof. N. K. Hanson, of the South
Dakota Agricultural college, who was
sent to Russia and central Asia In
lS97-9S by the U. S. Department of
Agriculture to gather drouth-resisting
forage plants, was interviewed in re-
gard TO this matter and made the fol-
lowing statement:
'In justice 70 Secretary Wilson it
should be stated that these facts were
all we'll known to him long before he
sent me on the long journey OF nearly
ten months to eastern Russia and the
heart OF Asia. Some of these hard or
goose wheats have been imported from
time to time by Others besides the
German-Russians, but dropped out Of
sight again owing to lack of market
and the want of knowledge OF their
proper use. In Russia / found many
trains OF hard wheats in the dry
Volga river region and learned that
nearly all went to Italy and southern
France TO the macaroni manufactur-
ers and also that the best Russian
-four was made from a mixture Of
these hard wheats with the softer va
rieties. That was more question OF
a special market than that OF adapt
ability to a dry climate. Until this
question OF special market could be
settled did not deem 1t wise TO buy
any except small experimental lots,
so reported the matter to the Secre-
tary and went On into Asia hunting
for Turkestan alfalfa and other new
plants. In the spring of 1898, soon
after my return, the macaroni manu-
facturers and others wishing to en-
gage in the business, wished to have
the question investigated why macar-
oni made in America sold at price
greatly inferior to the imported artl-
Gle. 1t was evident that Italy and
France got better raw material than
we did. So Secretary Wilson detailed
the wheat specialist OF his depart
ment, Mark A. Carleton, to go to
Russia and make thorough investi-
CATION Of this whole matter AS a
result seed was obtained in quantity
of the very best strains Of macaroni
wheats, some Of them hundreds of
miles northeast Of the source Of the
hard wheats commonly seen in Amer
lea. In all probability some Of these
strains OF seed have never before been
imported. Recently Director Jas. II.
Shepard, of this station, received
$500 pounds of this imported seed
wheat from the U. s. Department Of
Agriculture to grow for seed purposes.
1t is believed that profitable special
crop can be made Of this macaroni
wheat in South Dakota, as the soil and
climate resemble closely parts Of east
ern Russia. A dry climate and new,
rich, fertile soil are essential to the
highest development Of these hard
wheats, and they degenerate rapidly
In unsuitable soils and climates.
There will be no need Of importing
macaroni from Italy and France
when the best strains Of macaroni
wheat are grown in quantity In the
United States. Our millers In time
may also be induced to try the Rus
sian way Of making the highest priced
-four by mixing these hard wheats
with the softer wheats and thus
greatly increase the market for them"