The Glasgow courier., 1916-02-04
WILL HAVE BETTER GRADES
FOR MONTANA OATS

The Minneapolis grain market re-
port in The Montana Record Satur-
day carried with it quotation on No.
2 Montana white oats, the prices rang
ing from 55c to 58c per bushel. The
ordinary No. 3 quotation in the same
market report was 49 1-2c. The spread
between the two prices is a very
striking one-from 18 to rs cents per
100 pounds, and the result should be
a gain to the Montana ost growers of
an enormous sum in the aggregate,
even for that portion of last years
crop which remains in their hands.
It will be recalled that in November
of last year Sam w. Teagarden Of
Forest Grove, brought to the atten-
tion of the Farmers Federation. con-
vention at Lewistown the matter of
securing for the daily press of this
state a market quotation on oats
through the Associated Press that
would be fair to the high quality of
oats grown in this state. Authorized
by the convention to do SO, he took up
the matter with the daily press, and
the press in turn requested the quo
tations sought for from the Associat-
ed Press. The quotation on No. 2
white Montana oats, at a high prem
ium, has been the result of the agita-
ton.
"This victory for the Montana
farmer means multiplied hundreds of
thousands of dollars in gain in the
price he will in future get for his
OATS" said Mr.. Teagarden today.
"However, the Minneapolis exchange
should go step further and cut out
entirely the quotation for No. 3 and
No. oats of the ordinary kind, and
substitute therefor quotation on the
Montana variety of these grades.
What is needed to really fill the bill
is a quotation on No. 2 Montana white
oats, Standard Montana white oats
and No. 3 Montana white oats. The
Montana offerings of these grades Of
oats whether on the Minneapolis, Du.
luth or Chicago markets, always COM
mand high premium over the same
grade Of oats grown in the Missis-
sippi valley states. The difference
frequently reaches 25 to IS cents per
100 pounds.
ut must not be forgotten that the
Montana and Minnesota grades.
which are identical in requirements
also provide for No. l white oats.
Montana grown oats which meet the
of this grade, however,
are practically never sold on the open
market at terminals. The Montana
buyers of this class of oats have al-
ways found keen demand for them
at the various cereal mills of the
country. Almost without exception
shipments of No. / Montana white
oats have gone direct from the ele-
vators to the cereal mills, and they
have always commanded big prem
ium over the ordinary No. oats
grown in other parts of the country.
"The recent editorial in The Mon
tana Record, in which the cudgel was
taken up on behalf of the Montana
oat growers, has been used with par
ticular effectiveness in getting this
new oat quotation. The article stirred
up quite a volume of sympathetic dis
cussion in the state press, and more
over, Mr.. Templeton, the chief grain
inspector, tells me he used this pub
licity as part of the pressure he ap-
piled to the Minneapolis chamber of
commerce in his very recent corre-
spondence upon the subject of fair
market quotation on oats. The CO.
operation of the grain inspection de-
partment has, Of course, been a pow
erful help"