The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-08-31
DURUM WHEAT'S
GREAT FUTURE

Hettinger Record: That Durum, or
macaroni, wheat is to be one of the
most successful crops for North Da-
kota and especially for the southwest
ern section of the state would seem to
be certainty. Durum was originally
selected for it's well known tendency
to resist drought, excessive heat, or in
fact mostly any other extreme in cli-
mate. Nearly any part of the north-
west has some of the extremes in the
matter of climatic conditions but not
all of them have the soil where durum
will thrive. In this section of the state
while we may not have more than our
share Of such extremes we are never
theless fortunate in having a soil that
is favorable to such a crop as durum.
1t enables the farmers to grow crop
that is proof against extremes, or if
not proof is more so than blue stem or
| fife wheat. This means that it will be
an exceptionally bad year indeed when
| the farmers of this section can not get
| a crop of macaroni and in getting such
| a crop they have a decided advantage
| over the farmers of Minnesota and
eastern North Dakota where the durum
is not considered safe crop owing to
! soil conditions that are unfayorable.
| That durum can be most successfully
| grown here there Is absolutely no doubt
whatever The soil is favorable and
| the durum grown here thus far has
shown no signs of failure whether the
seasons were wet or dry. This year al
| though generally considered one of
| much rainfall, the durum wheat crop
will be much better one than that of
| blue stem or fife and last year, which
was one of the dryest that this section
has eeyr experienced, the durum was
far in the lead of the hard wheats in
the matter Of yield. This certainly
would indicate that durum will be the
principal crop of this section when 1t
| becomes generally known that it is not
an experimental crop and that instead
it Is a crop that can be depended upon
year in and year out despite variation
in precipitation. Durum wheat grow
ing in this section Of the state is nj
longer an experiment. 1t has passed
that stage and the sooner that the
farmer works into this kind Of croI
instead of growing blue stem and fif'
exclusively, just that much sooner
win he reap a sure and profitable har'
vest. 1t is q fact that durum does no
sell at as high figure as do the Other
wheats, there being difference of from
twenty to twenty Ave cents bushel II
favor of the blue stem and fife yet witt
the yield that durum makes In TINS
: part of the state it is fully as profit
able as the other kinds and pelng
much surer crop is far preferable. VIVA
is more, the time will come When dur
um will come into it's own IN the mat
: ter Of price. There is no good reason
: why durum should sell at lowe
price than the other wheats unless
be that it necessitates changes In mill
ing facilities and that the demand 10
durumflour is not sufticient-and eVei
: then the difference should not be s
great as it is and would not be wer
! il not for the fact that durum is un
. ustly Disseminated against Dy TN
: millers. Bread from durum flour !
= fully as nutritive as that made frou
blue stem or fife -four and the onl,
: reason for its not being in deman
. presumably lies in the idea entertain
: ed by too many people that the durur
bread. because 1t is more dark colore
t than the other is not so good. TN
!. idea is entirely erroneuos, however
il The writer had occasion about a yea
: ago to hear Professor Ladd, stat
a chemist and pure food commissions
: discuss this matter and he stated posi-
lively that durum wheat bread is equs
: if not superior to bread made from tn
q whittier -four and that bread in order I
! be palatable and nourishing need ne
e be white He also claimed that tn
! whitest bread is made from bleache
If -four and is somewhat harmful an
that there was little difference In II
Al cost of milling durum and the otne
" wheats and all that is necessary
= bring the price of durum wheat up
" that of the others would be a campais
ot of education with view to bringir
er people to realize that durum whe'
le bread made from the blue stem or fl
flour and thus encourage Its use
is this is done and the demand for duru
re- flour can be sufficiently increased the
l. will be no excuse for discriminate