Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1911-10-07
A HOME INDUSTRY.
A Seed Extracting Plant, Orchard
and Nursery, Near Custer.

tne only G0V6rnmenC pine seeQ-eXCract-
ing plant in the United States. We can
also boast of new plant for extracting
pine and spruce seed owned by a private
individual, whose products are shipped
from this station. We refer to the plant
of John V. Valentine, on his ranch
9 miles east of here. Last Saturday
Uncle George, the CHRONICLE reporter,
went out home with Mr.. Valentine,
remaining over Sunday and Monday.
Our readers will remember that last
year Mr.. Valentine contracted to fur
nish the Government with 10000 pounds
of pine seed within a stated time. Dur
ing that time his plant burned down
entailing loss Of several thousand
pounds Of seeds, and necessitating his
building another plant in mid-winter,
under the most exasperating circum-
stances. When the paint factory burned
he lost about 1000 pounds stored there
in. However, he surmounted all obsta-
cles and filed his contract on time.
Since then the Government has pur-
chased 1000 pounds of pine seed from
him. He still has on hand between
5000 and 5000 pounds of seed, stored
in this city, which he expects to dispose
of in time for next springs seeding
This new plant is a substantial struct-
ure 30x60 feet in size. He has taken
every precaution to make the plant fire.
proof, having lightning-rods on the
building and encasing the heating pipes
with asbestos wheI ever they pass through
or near woodwork. To guard against
fire he keeps several barrels filed with
water on each floor, handy for prompt
action in emergency.
Being built on hillside it is 3-story on
the lower and 2-story on the upper side,
with spacious loft. He has a driveway
on each side of the building, so be can
unload wagon at either the first or
second floor. Each floor is about feet
in the clear. About half the space of
the first floor, or basement, is taken up
with the furnaces, of which there are
two, and fuel. The large furnace is
walled in with brick-having an air.
space of one foot all around except in
front. The small furnace is set close to
the wall at the west end of the building
The balance of the space is reserved for
sacking the seed and storing when ready
for market. The second floor about two
thirds of the space is used for the drying
| room, the balance being used for hulling
and cleaning the seed. The third floor
the drying room occupies two-thirds of
the space, the balance being used as a
storage room for sacks, tools, etc.
Unfortunately there are no pine cones
this year. However, Mr.. Valentine
gathered several hundred bushels of
spruce cones, from which he is now ex.
tracting the seed. His drying rooms
will hold 1000 bushels, but has now
only about 600 bushels heating. 1t re-
quires but very little more heat and
labor to treat 1000 bushels, than it does
100 bushels. When starting in for the
season it takes about three days to heat
both floors of the drying rooms to the
standard temperature. After the rooms
are thoroughly heated he can dry a
batch of cones in four days, 30 they will
shell out. As spruce seed are smaller
than onion seed it takes considerable
work to clean them after they are
threshed out. From this lot of seed Mr.
Valentine contemplates planting next
spring enough seed to make 100000
spruce trees. Last July he set out 500
spruce trees and only one of them died
Mr.. Valentine finds ready sale for
spruce seed from nurserymen, not only
in the United States but frequently re-
csives orders from Austria, Denmark,
New Zealand and other foreign coun-
ties. Nurserymen class spruce among
their ornamental trees and pay good
price for the seed-those from the Black
Hills being considered hardy variety.
Mr.. Vallenthime is a practical florist.
He has lived on his present ranch on
the south fork of Squaw creek, for ls
years. Every year he has searched the
hills and canyons of the Black Hills for
herbs, ferns and flowers, and knows
every cone-bearing pine and spruce tree
within radius of 40 miles of his home.
stead.
In addition to the machinery men
toned above, Mr.. v. has a gasoline en-
gine which he uses in the plant during
the winter. In the summer he moves
it out on the creek bank and uses it t.
pump water for irrigation.
1t rained so hard Sunday and Monda,
that we could not inspect the orchard
as we would like to have done, bu
viewing them from the roadside th,
trees looked healthy and thrifty. Som
of the plum trees bore their first GRO
this year. From the nursery Mr.. Val
lenthims informs us he will have read
for spring delivery several thousan
spruce and apple trees; 500 or NOR
plum trees; and of small fruits currants
raspberries and gooseberries; also
thrifty lot of honeysuckles, snowballs
jumpers, etc.
Of Towering bulbs he will have Iris
Paonias, Tulips, Phlox, English Dasies
Pansies and Roses, by the hundred.
About three years ago his green-hous
was destroyed by fire. Since then a
his .annuals and perennials, in fact, a
his nursery stock have been grown ou
in the open air, exposed to the element
and therefore are thrifty and hardy.
. President Taft will be here at OIL
lo'clock q. m, Saturday, October 2lst.