The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-12-12
WILL RAISE
MORE DURUh
FARMERS ARE FINDING IT MORE
PROFITABLE THAN ORDINARY
wHEAT-RETTER MARKET AND
HIGHER PRICES. SAYS soNAN.
"A FARMER.

Duluth Herald: A. r. Peake of VAL
ley City, N. D., owner of farms in
Barnes county, that state, a~ggregating
5000 to 5000 acres, Who was a visitor
on the Duluth exchange today, re-
marked that he believed that next
year that state would raise a great
deal more durum than it did this year,
but that the acreage Of spring wheat
would be decreased.
There is a better market for durun
than there is for spring wheat. and
prices are better said MI. Peake.
"Durum is now higher-priced than
spring wheat. Two years and more
ago, durum was selling at 10, Is and at
times even 20 cents per bushel lower
than spring wheat. At that time he
farmers of our part of North Dakota
were putting durum in about a third
of their wheat lands and spring wheat
in the other two-thirds. Then they
went more largely into spring wheat,
because hat was a better seller and
paid better. There was an excellent
home market for spring wheat, and
there was none to export. The market
for durum depended largely on the ex-
port. But this year conditions are very
different. There is more spring wheat
to export than the foreigners really
want and the durum holds its value
much better. l believe that next year
the farmers of North Dakota will
again put in about a bushe1 of durum
to two bushels of spring wheat.
Farmers keep following after the
high-priced grains in what they raise
and then they raise so much of the
high priced grains that the prices are
beaten right down. This ear farmers
raised a great deal of barley, because
the price was high last year., and they
paid high prices for the seed. But I
North Dakota will not be diminished
next year, because the farmers did lit
tie fall blowing, and next year they
will have to put in such grains as are
adapted to spring blowing. That, l
think, is another reason for believing
that there will be an increase in the
acreage of durum and a decrease in
the acreage of spring wheat.
This year the farmers Of North
Dakota did not get more than 20 per
cent of the fall blowing they did a year
ago. Thus there is a great deal of
blowing to be done in the spring. This
fall they had vast crops to handle and
were handicapped in not getting the
help they needed. Thus the fall plow-
ing was neglected. There was rainy
weather in September that put the
LHFeSHlnS oack, anu latef IneTe was
quite a snow fall, which drove most
of the threshing help out of the state.
Later there was a long period of fine
threShing weather, but the farmers had
to do it by clubbing together, because
they did not have the help they need
ed. So there was great delay in get
ting the fall work done. In the region
Of Valley City threshing was going on
until after the national election.
Yet along the main line of the
Northern Pacific in North Dakota the
threshing is practically finished, nd
along the branch lines it is finished
about as far west as jamestown. ]
am not SO familiar with conditions
along the Great Northern, but from
what I hear / think there is a great
deal of threshing of wheat and flaS
still to be one in the northwestern
mart of he State.' .