The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1904-08-15
RUST PUZZLES
GRAIN EXPERTS
CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE con-
CEDED IN RED RIVER VALLEY.
John Miller, Former Governor, Finds
All Sorts of Conditions in Thoro
Field Examination-Late Grain
Must Run the Gauntlet of Both
Rust and Frost

Special to The Journal
Grand Forks, N. D., Aug. 15.-As the
crop of 1904 approaches maturity there
IL disposition to hedge on the sure
thing statements which were made Garner
In the season. It is certain the crop IN
the valley Is from ten days to two weeks
later than usual; that the crop IN tho
western counties is earlier than that IN
the valley; that there Is some damage
by rust and that this damage Is greater
In the valley than farther west. Beyond
this all seems to be guessWork. FORMER
Governor Miller, who has commission
business in Duluth and Minneapolis, has
been out In the fields for a week, and Is
now up the Park River line. In an In
terview he said
THAT there Is rust in the wheat 1s
evident to every one, but what the effect
of that rust will be I do not think any
man can tell at this time. l have eX'
amined carefully hundreds Of fields, and
have found all sorts of conditions.
have found wheat which, while rusted.
will yield well, and the berry will be Wen
developed. In other cases the damage
may be very great. There are many fields
where the grain was approaching matur-
ity, before rust appeared, and In such
cases there will be scarcely any damage
In other fields, where the grain Is late
and the rust had appeared while the plant
was young, there will Of course be great
damage II the rust develops rapidly while
the straw is still green. In that case tho
berry will be robbed Of the sustenance
which 1t should have, and while there
will be wheat, the quantity will be ma
terially diminished and the quality will
be poor.
I'm the neighborhood Of St. Thomas I
found general satisfaction with the con-
dition of the crops. The Garrett broth
ers have a large farm there, and they told
hot hod IN a1 hnf al,
carefully and found little rust. Our Gus
toners along the Park River line tell us
that the conditions are good there. Be-
tween Northwood and Thompson we found
much rust and there some fields there
which are badly damaged. The grain is
ripening well In many places, and there
are many fields that show grain so far
along that while rust may possibly shrink
the kernels a little 1t will not materially
affect the yield"
Presiding Elder Cooper, who Is a care
full observer Of the crops, has just re-
turned from trip up the Walhalla line
He says that the crops around Crystal and
Hoople are excellent, and there Is little
complaint Of rust or anything else. Far
Their north, until the high ground west OF
the road Is reached the crops were
drowned In the spring, and subsequent
wet weather had resulted in very poor
prospect. On the high land farther west
'he oiop 10 splenulu. Drayton mas gOOC
stand OF straw and the grain looks well
but 1t Is late and there is anxiety there
about frost.
l.. b. Gibbs, who operates a large
local commission business, thinks that thu
damage from rust has been greatly ex.
aggerated.
John M. Smith, president Of the Alliance
Hail association, has spent much time II
the fields, and says that the conditions
are perplexing. He finds rust in alnos,
every section that he has visited.
e An impartial summary leads to the con,
clusion that the effect Of the rust on the
crops west of the valley is as vet ar
unknown quantity. depending largely or
future weather conditions; that the val
ley has been considerably damaged; tina
much OF the grain Is practically out of tn,
way Of injury, and that late grain has =,
run the gauntlet Of both rust and frost.