The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-08-20
Mi|Iers Seek Farmers and
Offer Gold For Wheat.
rs CENTS PAID ON THE FLAT
Scramble For Wheat This Year
Mover Methods Will Be Employed.

uation today was the report from Eu-
reka fiat that outside buyers were in
vading the farmers homes and offer
ing fancy prices for milling wheat.
One buyer, said to be Former Deputy
Grain Inspector Wfndust Of Hunts
Vile, secured 5000 sacks of choice
blue stem by paying the top price OF
| 76 cents. Local dealers are wonder
ing if in the scramble for wheat this
year it will be necessary to go into
the fields and implore farmers to
sell.
The wheat bought yesterday is
said to be for milling concern either
at Waitsburg or Dayton. Both mills
are said to have orders ahead that
must be filed but with their granaries
empty it has become necessary to
send agents into the fields with their
pockets lined with gold.
Probably 10000 bushels were sold
yesterday. One concern secured 5000
bushels of club at II cents and enough
small lots to make up the other 1000
bushels was scattered among several
firms. Up to noon today dealers re-
ported that not a single sale had been
made The Commercial Review,
Portland wheat authority this week
says:
There is no important trading 60
| ing on, business being done for some
time past confined to supplying mil
| r6I
pared to trade extensively at present
even were there free Offrings of wheat
it being rather early to establish stand
ards and prices. Wheat is coming to
tide water in small lots. action move
ment here will hardly be in force be
! fore September l. Harvest operations
are in full swing with no material
| change in conditions, as formerly pub
! lished in these columns. Some sec
| tons regard final results as above
earlier anticipations, while in others
! the outcome will be poorer than eX-
pected. but on the whole the crop in
Eastern Oregon and Washington may
| be said to be turning out much better
! on threShing returns. In England
values are depreciating on account Of
| improved crop conditions throughout
| England generally. 1t is too early to
! give quotations on new crop wheat
| but probably 73 cents per bushel on
dock here would be full export value.
Millers are paying cents premium
above these figures; how long this will
| last is problematical 1t is unneces-
sary to add that present bids will tend
to delay active or free selling and
probable sellers will hold off until the
last moment before parting with their
grain.
With 70 cents offered for bluestem
wheat and 81 cents for club, the far
! mers will reap handsome returns
from the harvest this year, even
though the yield be below the average.
There is every indication that prices
will hold firm, and many expect to
see better quotations than those now
prevailing. Few grain growers are
anxious to SELL and the majority are
holding their wheat in the expectation
that the rise in price which began al
most with the seasons opening bid
will continue.
The farmers are, as a rule, in good
financial condition, and never before
have they been in a better position TO
wait for higher offers. For this rea-
son the buyers and growers are wide
apart in their figures. and there Is
not much prospect Of their coming TO-
gether for several weeks at least.
With the market so strong the farm
ars are refusing to sell, and as they
ale under no necessity to CONVEX.
their wheat into cash they say they
can afford to wait for better prices.
Selling their wheat around 70 cents
means good returns On the crop how
ever, and with many there must be
a temptation to let go at this figure.