Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1905-02-02
THE northwestern MILLER
Tells of MacarOni Wheat and it's
Place as a Cerel and it's
Value to Make
Good Flour.

Agriculture Is at IL again. III Its
"Cerealist in Charge Of Cereal Invest
igations," and its Physiological Chem
list, Cereal Investigations" We're to
leave the subject of wheat entirely alone
and if the department would pay half
the attention to improving the stand,
ards of legitimate wheats that it gives
TO the explorations of unwelcome has
tard varieties, it would be infinitely
better for the farmer, the miller and
the Pubic generally, Not satisfied
with the disastr Gus results of its former
attempts to enco rage the growth of
macaroni to the prejudice of wheat of
an acknowledged, accepted and the
worldwide value. the department
renews its m~ischevious activity in a
mistaken direction by issuing a bulletin
devoted to what it is pleased to term
''The Commercial Status of Durum
Wheat
Its ideas on the subject consist largely
of a reiteration of the results of certain
very doubtful bakiny test conducted
under its own supervision aud by its
own peculiar methods, the
and misleading character of which the
Northwestern Miller has already COM
pletely and thoroughly exposed to the
entire satisfaction of the practical mill
ers and bakers. In addition to this
history of ancient and exploded invest
igations which were promptly and sue
cessfully discredited the bulletin
includes some astonishingly erroneous
statements of alleged facts, many or
them palpably and obviously untrue, a
list of macroni manufactures, the very
large majority of whom prefer to bay
low grade flour rather than that made
from home grown macaroni wheat;
some recipes for making various dishes
from the favored cereal and several
engravings designed to prove that a loaf
of bread made from macaroni wheat
dour, looks as large as one ..made from
the best quality of spring wheat patent.
The object of the whole document is to
encourage still further the wheat
grower to substitute, the spectacular
and expection that, through govern
mental fostering and persistent pushing
the millers will be compelled to use it
or else cease grinding.
That macaroni wheat has its poper
use and place as a foodstuff is undeni-
able. Its name indicates its legitimate
character and position. That it can be
easily grown in semi arid localities
where better and more valuable wheats
would fail, is true. If the department
would confine itself to advocating the
growth of this wheat where it belongs;
if it would encourage the development
OF the trade in macroni wheat along the
natural channel which it should follow,
no just criticism of its efforts would
hold. 1t would be doing useful work,
stimulating the cultivation of hithei to
Improbable lands, teaching farmers to
get the utmost results from their fields
and building up gradually an industry
which in time might lead to the sub
stitutionsof homemade macroni for the
imported article or even to the export
ations, in large quantities, of macroni
wheat. Such a slow, safe and emf
nently wise policy dose o however,
commend itself to the department.
Political ~exigencies demand a more
rapid and spectacular development in
order to count while the party in power
lasts and can get full credit for it.
Unless the blades cad be made I o grow
where none before existd within certain
definite time.limits, for political pur-
poses they need not grow at all. Hence
immediate results count. Therefore
the department, instead of developing
the macaroni intrest within proper linn
its, has been doing its best to discredit
accepted standards of bread in favor of
that made from its own pet cereal.
1t has sought to supplant in a market,
already established, the -four made
from real wheat by that made from the
bogus variety which it favors and it
attempts to dignity such substitutions
by terming it a distinct commercial
achievement and boasting of its accomp-
lishments in this direction. 1t has not
succeeded in doing anything except to
to make mischief and confusion in an
established, definate and legitimate
trade. Macraoni wheat remains and
will ever remain a substitute for the
standard grades, a make-shift at the
best, a crop which can never rival even
if 1t should by the efforts Of the govern
ment finally supplsnt real spring wheat.
To aid in this work Is but to encourage
deterioration and slip-shod agricultural
methods. Macaroni is the Ishmael Of