The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-08-11
Will DURUM SELL
LOWER This YEAR ?
NEED OF NEW DURUM MARKET
is POINTED oUT-UP TO THE
PRODUCERS.

Point Iona, Cal, Aug. B.-To The
Forum: If the following prognosis
proves correct the durum farmer is to
be UP against 1t and, in the absence
of foreign demand, even the holding
of his wheat for a better price Is not
going to keep him, If there is no more
wheat to go around than is called for.
Keeping goods locked up in the store
room of a merchant don't keep the
price, if there is no call for the goods.
1t is the demand, the active market
that puts value upon a product. 1t
is valuable in the ratio to the desire of
the purchaser to procure it, for wheat,
like everything else, being worth only
what 1t will fetch in the market.
If it be so that our. export call for
durum is to fall fiat, or If it keeps up
the price, because Of foreign low priced
durum wheat being offered freely, is
TO be lower than ever, then 1T is up to
the durum wheat growers to find a
new market
Every family using durum bread
means an average consumption of
thirty-six bushels of wheat annually
Not one housekeeper In 100000 thorugh
out the country knows or has ever
heard that durum -four will make any
thing and everything from bread to
breakfast food and yet here is mar
ket that consumes annually nearly
| SOC, 100000 of bushels of wheat. and at
most but 50,000,000 to 6O,000,000 bush
els of durum are grown annually.
| But here's the article from the
| Modern Miller" Of st. Louis, and che
reader can judge for himself:
| rs the northwestern farmer to re-
ceive a severe setback in durum
wheat prices this season? asks the
Minneapolis Market Record. There is
more or less gossip heard in trade cir
cles covering this point and the gen.
eral opinion is that the export call for
that particular wheat this season will
be small or at very low figures. This
supposition is based on the brilliant
crop prospects in those countries thai
are the principal producers of the hard
wheat and will compete with the
northwest farmer.
"The spring wheat states have gone
into durum wheat raising heavily the
last few years. The total production
probably is one fourth Of the tota
wheat gathered in the three states. A
matter of 40,O00,000 to 100000 bush
els is quite load to market, but here
tofore there has been no difficulty and
growers have found 1t a very profit
able crop because of its larger rela-
tive yield than the blue stem.
THE crop is considered as a purely
export proposition and for that reason
the situation abroad has a most i'm.
| portant bearing on the price position
1t has happened that since the north.
west farmer has been marketing lib
eral crop of this wheat there has beer
a corresponding loss in the production
in those centers nearer the European
consumptive market. This has made
the demand for the American growr
wheat exceptionally large. If there ii
to be big crop in Europe and Africa
and such an outcome is now promised
drastic price concessions may b,
scored before the American farmer
can place his crop abroad.
According to the best advices ths
acreage of durum wheat Is heavy III
the three states, but probably varies
little from year ago. 1t is hard II
say just in what proportion the durun
is to the spring since there is no sep.
arate data kept. but it is the genera
opinion of the trade that the produc.
tion will be about the same this seasor
i as last.
4 The durum situation is likely Il
prove an interesting problem this sea
son. The market, at least, Is to hay,
its real test IL the competing coun
tries raise the crop that is now prom
ised.'
4 70 +tara a. a,~.y +~u,+1. a. a. ..A~...
the sooner the durum -four is appre
ciated BY the housewives Of the coun
try and a price and active domisti,
market established the better for tn,
ldurum farmer. Charles Cristadoro