Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1915-09-02

made that the American miller has
not the machinery with which he can
make the high-grade macaroni
fours, such are are found in Europe.
This is not the case. Every known
process of manufacturing grain into
-four has been thoroughly 1nvestigat-
ed by the American millers, who
have spent and are continually
spending Thousands Of dollars each
year in various kinds Of experiments.
There rs no sum of money SO large
but that any Minneapolis mill would
expend it, If it were found possible
and practical to manufacture any
quality of wheat into q better grade
of -four than is made by them. The
Minneapolis miIlers today undoubt-
edly spend more money in expert
menting and in their chemical de-
partments (that they may manufac-
ture the best grades OF -four possible,
and in the most scientific way, to get
from them every quality that is pos
sible to separate from the grain)
than it would cost to send sufficient
number OF men to all parts OF the
world to seek out such machinery,
If it existed, and the price which they
would pay for it, were at commercial
,ly of value, would run into many
thousands Of dollars. 1t, therefore,
must be self-evident that it does not
exist, for It 1T did exist, the Ameri-
can miller would be z the first one
that the inventor would seek to dis
pose of his machinery.
1t is almost a physical impossible
:ity to climate the ,pa0ple away from
their ideas of what they believe is
best for their use to something that
may be equally as good but does not
meet their views. No stronger Illus
tration of this can be found than in
the failure of the corn products men
to introduce corn products into Eu-
rope, particularly at this time, when
food products are exceedingly scarce
and high. Yet, notwithstanding this
fact. the people will not change over
onto a commodity which they are
not accustomed to use, or which they
do not understand or hike the taste
of. The same thing is to degree
with durum flours; they do not make
the same kind of bread, of flavor,
color and texture that the American
people are accustomed to have, and
while it may have food value OF
equal merit, that in Itself is not the
only thing to be considered in mer-
chandising an article. Therefore,
durum flours are, not a success in
this country, nor do we believe they
ever will be. On the other hand, the
growth of the macaroni business is
phenoniinal in the United States, and
no doubt our people are going to be-
come better acquainted each year
with the value of this food, and it is
going to be more commonly seen on
the American table. This may in
crease the demand for durum prod
ucts to such an extsA5 that, the dur
UNI wheats will have 4 more stabae
market.
You fully understand that the
milling business is one of exceeding
'ly close margin, and that the wheat
that could be manufactured into a
satisfactory commercial article would
not vary in price from another be-
cause tof any COM bination of circum-
stances or prejudice of the manufac-
turer. The demand in the United
States and in those countries which
ordinarily import from the United
States is going to be, for many years
to come, for bread-wheat f1ours, and
it will make very little difference
about the opinion Of scientists or the
mi1lers as to the value of durum
flours until the tastes and demands
of the people are such as to require
them from the manufacturer.
The agricultural department. in
their efforts to find a wheat suitable
for particular purpose and that
would be best under climatic condi-
tions where other wheats would not
grow successfully, were doing the
country valuable service. When
they 60 beyond this the bread wheats
that do not meet requirements and
attempt to insist upon their being
graded similar to other established
grades, the country becomes a great
sufferer, as the price of any article
sold in the open market is the value
of the lowest article that may be de-
'1ivered on that contract, and when
wheats are put into the grades of in
ferior milling qualities they lower
the value of the trade in the worlds
market, and the price at which it is
sold is the price of the poorest ar
ticle that is put into the grade. This
question, to oar minds. of the great
est Importance to our three north
western states, to the farmer, and
all commercial interests that have
the welfare of the Northwest at
heart.