The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-27
SHIP WHEAT WEST
Kansas Farmers Sending Pro-
duct to New Market.
Much Grain Is Being Taken
Over Mountains.
FIKE RUNS EXCURSIONS
He Is Taking Farmers Into
Thomas County.
Glimpse of Wheat Fields of the
Far West.
FIKE RUNS EXCURSIONS

Colby. Kan, Oct. 27-If Curtis
Jadwyn were trying to corner the wheat
supply now as he did in THE PITT the
farmers of western Kansas would bury
him in wheat even worse than Mr.. Nor
ris did his hero in his famous wheat
speculation novel. On every side one
IS reminded of the song of the pit,
Wheat, wheat, wheat! Wheat, wheat,
wheat" 1t stares him in the face as
he rides along the railroad-thousands
of stacks of it, still Observation-Disclosures
the thousands of straw stacks one sees
in every direction. On every road the
FARMERS are hauling in to the railroad
stations. At every elevator where cars
can be procured it is the same story
Five, ten, fifteen, twenty wagon loads
OF wheat waiting their turn for unload
ing, and all the time the elevator ma
chinery pours a constant stream into
the empty cars. At every little rail-
road station one sees the same sight
II cars are to be had. If no cars are
to be had the elevator is silent, con-
Besteo, but perhaps big pile of wheat
lies on the ground near by. Farmers
nave bought it to town, have found no
market because of the lack of cars in
which to ship it or storage room to store
1t, and they have sold it at less than
the market price to avoid having to
hA6N III II AOlllG again, ana the grain DlYGr
has dumped it on the ground
The habit of pillng the wheat on the
ground is not as common in the north
west, however, as it is in the Arkansas
valley One reason probably is that
the threShing has not been pushed as
&ast. Grain men say that piling the
wheat on the ground does not injure
1t hardly at all, even if the rain falls
on it, unless the ground beneath should
be wet. In this case the moisture r'ses
E0fG no fFf.r hoy p s =,
rain falls on it the water runs down the
sides of the wheat pile in little rivuIets,
Wetting only the surface, and that
quickly dries.
A new market has recently been
opened for western Kansas wheat.
Large quantities are now going over
the mountains to California. The Peavy
along the Union Pacific is shipping
hundreds of car loads to the Pacific
coast.
California is itself great wheat
producing state, but its product is all
soft wheat. A few years ago soft wheat
was supposed to be the best in the
world. but millers have now found out
different. 1t makes the whtest aour,
because it is made up largely of starch,
but 1t does not begin to compare with
the hard Kansas winter wheat in glu-
ten, the property which makes flour
valuable for bread. The soft wheats
are the better for pastry, cakes and
crackers, but the glutenous hard wheat
makes the better bread.
For this reason California millers like
those of Minnesota, are seeking Kansas
hard wheat to blend with the soft
wheats. In this way the glutenous quail
fly of the flour is raised.
During the past month the movement
of wheat from the western counties OF
Kansas has been considerable. 1t is a
long haul, more difficult than to the
Atlantic seaboard. but the Union Pacific
and Southern Pacific gets it all the way
80 they can afford to encourage Ship
ments in that direction. besides making
an extra effort to get cars for shippers
who will send their wheat that way.
A few evenings ago a freight crew on
the Lincoln branch of the Union Pacific
got into Colby after SO hours without
sleep. In this vicinity a small train
load Of wheat was picked up for Cali
fornia. When Oakley was rea ched more
was added to it. Ordinarily this crew
would have been allowed ten days rest
before starting east, but freight traffic
IS so heavy that it was ordered to take
the train load of California wheat west
to Cheyenne Wells. the end of the 'divis-
ion on the main line. There $50 cars
or seven train loads, of Colorado pota-
toes we're congestsd on their way east