The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1913-12-18
HARD SCORING
o PATTERSON
PROF. HANSEN SAYS ABERDEEN
MAN MISRERRESENTS In OF
FERING HIS ALFALFA SEED
'i''s st FOR SALE. y.

Brookings, S. D.-Declaring that
misrepresentation concerning the
variety and quality of South Dakota
Alfalfa seed r unfair to both the
general public and to honest seed
men, Professor N. e. Hansen, comes
out with a statement today in which
he severely scores H.ttF.. Patterson,
county agent for better farming in
Brown county.
1t seems that the enterprising
business men of Aberdeen backed the
|so-called South Dakota Better Farm
ing association in the purchase OF
$1,000 worth of alfalfa seed. 1T hap
pens that a letter has been sent by
the county agent, MI. Patterson, to
the Register of Deeds in each county
of the state announcing two carloads
of South Dakota grown seed for sale
by the Better Farming association at
Aberdeen. Concerning this offer Pro-
fessor Hansen says:
superintendent III. T.. Patterson
makes the claim that both of these
carloads raised in western
South Dakota and that carload num-
Der one has been raised on dry land
between the Cheyenne and Bad Riv-
ers for the past twenty years, and
that the original seed came from Rus
STA. Carload number two has been
grown on dry land between Elk Creek
and the Belle Fourche River for the
past twenty years: has spreading
root system; original seed from
Turkestan.
Hansen Challenges Both Claims.
II challenge both of these claims.
No scotsman in American has ever
claimed to have Russian alfalfa seed
from a field twenty years old or from
Turkestan alfalfa fields twenty years
old. No scotsman in the United
States has made these claims be-
cause he would not claim what is
not In existence. The records show
that the first Turketsan alfalfa seed
was brought over to America in the
spring of 1898 by myself and that
the shipment was about nine tons.
From European Russia l first brought
over alfalfa seed in 1906, which was
seven years ago.
I'm the Dakota Farmer of Deem
Der LIST MIR. Patterson says that some
alfalfa seed was imported from ST.
IBERIA twenty years ago. ] also chal-
lenge this statement and it will take
more than the unsupported word OF
Mr.. Patterson to proye it,"
Professor Hansen says he would
cast any reflections on the COM
mon alfalfa seed which was raised in
large quantities during the past sea-
son in western South Dakota. There
Will be a good market for all of it,
he says, for it is good seed when
properly cleaned. But he added.
."if Mr.. Patterson chooses send out
common alfalfa seed I'M active compe-
tition with the South Dakota seed
men, at the expense of the business
men of Aberdeen, he should compete
fairly and not make claims which no
seecdsman has ever yet made. This
seed has been brought in the same
region where the South Dakota seeds
men have been buying, but the seeds
men hare been and are dealing fairly
with the public by selling it on its
merits.
Says Siberian Alfalfas Are Supple
mentnry.
AS far as the Siberian alfalfss are
concerned, which / first brought over
in 1906, seven years ago. seedsmen
have in general respected by research
and introduction work In this matter
since they understand they were in
tended mainly for the millions of
acres of high dry uplands in all our
western states wheer no irrigation is
possible and where the general eNper-
fcncc with common alfalfa is Mnfav-
orabic. That is, The Siberian atfalfas