The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-10-22
MAKESGOOD BREAD
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT REC
OriricNDS DuRUn WHEAT.
Has Been Investigating Qualities for
Past Two Years and Announces
That II Is of Superior Qualify
Expected to Be of Great Value
to the West.

OF experiments covering q period of
two years the department of agricul-
ture announces that durum wheat is
in every way superior wheat for
bread raising, and that the former
prejudice against it is entirely i'll.
founded. Durum wheat, it should be
said, is the new name for macaroni
wheat. The department says the old
name is misleading and inaccurate,
for the particular kind of wheat to
which the term is applied is as suita-
BILE for making bread as for making
macaroni.
The firm establishment of Durum
wheat on a. commercial basis is expect
ed to prove a great boon for the West.
Formerly the Northwestern millers
were pretty generally of the opinion
THAT the so-called macaroni wheat
was not suitable for making bread
flour, and farmers were not advised to
raise it. In view Of the recent expert
ments all this is changed. Durum
wheat last year commanded a high
price, and hundreds of millers and
bakers have reached the conclusion
that it is one of the most valuable
kinds of wheat on the market.
A prediction of the probable crop of
1904 has been made. Fifteen or twen-
ty million bushels of wheat which
does not encroach upon the regular
production of other kinds is a large
quantity to be added to the general
production Of the United States. The
raising Of durum wheat is, strangely
enough, a sort Of substitute for irriga-
ton, for it is admirably adapted to
semi-arid, and even certain arid,
lands, where almost nothing else will
grow.
The estimate of from 100000 to
&c, 900, 900 bushels for this year leaves
out Of consideration entirely the enor-
nous areas Of semi-arid and even arid
districts admirably adapted to this
grain which have not yet been touched
by the farmer. The officials of the de-
partment which conducted the recent
experiments say that the possibilities
in reach of the farmers and CONNER
cial men in the production of and
trade in this new grain are not yet sus-
pected by the people in general.
Even under irrigation durum wheat
succeeds very we'll, but over the larger
portions of the dry districts irrigation
will be unnecessary, and this can be
said of only few of the drouth-resist-
ant crops. All the while new districts
are being developed and new trade
centers esta blished. This wheat will
be sold during the coming summer at
Kansas City, Omaha and Galveston.
as we'll as at Minneapolis and Duluth.
Prior to 1901 durum wheat could
rarely be sold at elevators or mills,
and was considered an inferior article.
It was grown in small quantities only
and then it was generally fed to stock.
Since it's commercial value has been
demonstrated, the production has in
creased from 100000 bushels, the
largest estimate in 1901, to at least
900, 900 bushels in 19OS-an increase
of 60 fold in two years It is strik-
ing fact that 6, 100000 bushels of q
grain formerly rejected should be sold
at fancy figure. Most important of
all, much the larger portion was sold
to the mills for making bread flour.
Prominent authorities in Minnesota,
where the -four milling industry is
conducted as science, were declaring
three or four years ago that durum
wheat, as it is now called, was entire
~ ill.snited to the use of making bread
-four. "It should properly be consid-
cred as, the wheat Of the highest
class, says the department of agricul-
ture, in reporting on the subject, after
long and expensive experiments,
ranking with hard spring and win
ter, but should be REGARDED on it's own
merits and kept absolutely distinct
from either of these"