Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1906-04-05

anything else 10 depreSS the price
These reserves. with the crop Of 1aH
amounted to about 10000. 900 bushels
more than the country's annual con.
sumption, hut with export sales and
an enlarged domestic demand the en-
tire load has been well absorbed, and
by he time we can harvest another
GRO, will be pretty we'll out OF the way.
The worlds situation on fax Is very
strong, stronger than at any time since
1901. and with nothing In sight to
make IL weak
Europe's principal sources of supply,
Argentine and India, are both short in
their crops; Argentine with shortage
of 20 per cent compared with 1905,
and with barely so per cent of the crop
of 1904; the Indian crop Is just being
harvested. and IL Is known that the
drouth at seeding time worked mate
rial damage to the crop. The final crop
ngures. which will be published next
month. will show great shortage
compared with 1905. and this in turn
was only 60 per cent OF the 1904 crop.
Argentine will not start shipping on
another crop until next January. and
India will not harvest another crop
7ntil March of 1907
Aside from the foreign situation, the
domestic outlook, of itself, Is strong
enough Consumption is increasing
materially every year, ard last years
crop would have been barely sufficient
to supply domestic demands 1t will
be remembered that the crop Of 1905
was exceptional in its large average
yield per acre, and II does not seem
possible that its average yield can be
again duplicated this year The area
In 1906 was much more than il would
have been were it not that the spring
season was so exceptionally favorable
TO large area of everything With
the rapid settlement of the far western
part OF North Dakota, the large new
breakings OF the past three or four
years are no longer available for fax,
and the trade will hereafter depend
on the product raised from smaller
fields. the twenty forty or eighty-acre
fields OF scattered farms
The writer has followed statistics
on faxseed since 1t first became a
prominent crop in the Northwest and
Is firmly Of the opinion that the 1906
fall prices for seed will be higher
than they have been before In FIVE
years and much higher than at pres
emit. Should an accident of any kind
occur to any considerable part of this
years American crop the worlds sta
tistical situation Is acute enough to
bring about extravagant prices
II is a well recognized fact that
FAX cannot be grown continuously on
the same field owing to the disease
known as fax wilt. II can, however
be grown continuously on the same
farm by SO rotating the crop as to
bring fax on each field but once in
seven to ten years
Flax requires a good SOIL as II Is
not a strong feeder. and IL does very
well following corn or a grass crop
II Is no harder on the land than is
more fertility removed by crop of
fax than by crop OF wheat. oats or
barley. Flax Ia undoubtedly valu,
able crop as a small portion Of the
total grain crop raised The average
yield In money value per acre has been
In the past larger for fax than for
wheat. II also has the advantage OF
requiring a shorter time to mature
than other grain crops. thus making
II possible to SOW fax considerably
later in the spring. which is quite
often an advantage
Barley.
Barley seems to be the tabooed crop
Of the Northwest, yet there Is so much
good that can be said In its favor as a
paying crop that have been sur
prised at the treatment accorded 1t by
many farmers. The usual way has
been 10 sow It after everything else
was In, or after II was too late to SOW
other crops, and to harvest and thresh
1t when time could be spared. II a
crop Is obtained. well and good; IL
not. charge il up to Providence. This
Is entirely the wrong view to take of
barley. There is no cereal grown In
this country that pays better IL prop.
erly cultivated and cared for Many
farmers do we'll as 1t IL and IL barley
can be raised profltably In the old slip
shod way there Is no gainsaying that
II cultivated on scientific principles
the average yield could easily be in
creased five to ten bushels per acre
and the quality advanced from 20 to
so per cent thus making the cultiva-
tion OF this cereal second to none.
Barley should never be cur until 1t
10 full ripe. as unripe barley Is OF no
value except a. feed Harvesting
should always be done In dry weather
and II possible. the harvested crop
should not be exposed to rain or heavy
dew. If fully ripened and reasonably
free from weeds barley can and should
be stacked as soon az cut and permit
ted to sweat In the stack: between
cutting and threshing unless stacked
II the time when the greatest damage
n commonly done.
When threshing from shock 1t
should be stored In dry bins and
watched carefully that heating does
not occur while sweating: II should
never be sent to market until after It |
has gone completely through the
sweat. for when In heating condition