Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1901-03-14
HARE WHEAT OFF THE EAST.
Prontsble Special o May i
Grown In the Dak0tas.

pFO0f0 hIG SpeClak SrOp~ way -
Grown I'm the DakOtas.
A special from Trip. states that
macaroni wheat. recently imported
from Russia by Secretary or Agricult-
ure Wilson, had been grown success
fully for the past twenty-five years by
the German-Russians near Tripp, the
original seed having been brought by
them from Russia. Prof. N. Il. Han
sen, Of the South Dakota Agricultural
college, who was sent to Russia n
Central Asia in 1S97-98 by the depart
ment of agriculture to gather drought
resisting forage plants, was inter-
viewed in regard to this matter and
said:
In justice to Secretary Wilson. 1t
should be stated that these facts were
well 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 CT
sight again owing to lack of market
and the want of knowledge or their
proper use. In Russia / found many
strains of hard wheats in the dry Vol
ga river region, and / learned that
nearly all went to Italy and Southern
France to the macaroni manufacture
ers; and also that the best Russian
-four vas made from a mixture of
these hard wheats with softer varie-
ties; that ii was more a question OF a
special market n that of adapta-
bility to a dry climate. Until this
question of a special market could be
settled, l did not deem 1t wise to buy
any except small experimental lots, so
reported the matter to the secretary,
and went on into Asia hunting for
Turkestan alfalfa and other new
plants.
e In the spring of 1898, soon after my
return, the macaroni manufacturers
and others wishing to engage in the
business were anxious to have the
question Investigated why macaroni
made In America sold at a price great
ly inferior to the imported article. It
was evident hat Italy and France got
better raw materials than we did. So
Secretary Wilson detailed the wheat
specialist of his department, Mark A.
Carleton, to go to Russia and make a
thorough investigation OF this whole
matter. AS a result, seed was obtained
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 wheat have never be-
fore been imported. Recently, Direct
o. James II. Shepard, of this station,
received $500 pounds Of this imported
seed from the department to grow for
seed purposes. 1t is believed that IA
profitable special crop can De made of
this macaroni wheat In South Dakota.
as the soil and climate resemble close
~ parts of Eastern Russia.
"A dry climate and a new rich. fer
tile soil are essential to h highest de-
velopment 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 %quanti-
ty in the United States. Our millers.
in time, may also be induced to try
the Russian way of making the high
est-priced flour, by mixing these hard
wheats with the softer wheats. and
thus greatly increase the market for
hem"