The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1917-08-21
BOLL[Y URGES
FARMERS TO
~. Hold ! SEED {. ]
State Commissioner Deplores
Tendency to Rush Into Mark:
ct at This Uncertain Time
WRITE AGRICULTURAL
COLLEGE FOR ASSISTANCE
Critical Time When Preparations
for Years 1918-1919 Must
Be Made
BY n. L. BotLEY.

BY II. /. 6QILEY.
Western farmers SHOULD hold the
wheat which they have grown, for
seed purposes. N
AS state seed commissioner, l have
been studying the present wheat sit
uation and thinking particularly of
the future crops of 1918 and 1919,
when, according to- all evidences, the
world will need wheat worse than it
has ever needed it before
According to my observation and
the best information which comes to
me, while the farmers of the state
west of a line running north by south
through Jamestown, are commonly
harvesting sufficient seed wheat and
other cereals to furnish good sup
ply for the seeding of the 1918 ,rop.
deem it my duty to call attention to
the fact that many farmers in this
region will have practically none at
all. wish also to Impress the iaCt
that. insofar as the farmers have rails.
ed any wheat on their land, unless
they allow'it to spoil, as 1t now stands
it is the best quality of wheat that
have ever seen grown. when consid
cred for use as seed for sowing pur-
poses.
Free From Parasites.
The reason that this wheat which
is now being harvested Is of such high
quality for seed purposes rests in the
fact that 1t has grown upon mother
plants which have, on account of TIE
hot. dry, weather CondsAspns, and dry
soil conditions, been Wholly~free from
the attack of parasites, fungus and
other insect pests which usually in
wet years injure the seed and are
transmitted by the seed to other
lands. ft
know that many of you have what
seemed to you to be important or
even necessary reasons for marketing
this seed now. Some of you think
you have no place to store it. ! an
swer, stack 'it!" Some of you think
you have mortgages which must be
paid. answer, Forget it," tiold
this seed unmixed with other poorer
qualities until the proper authorities,
emergency boards of the state, or ma
tional. authorities may be in Il post
tion to aid you. If you need help in
this matter of holding, pitt yourself
In touch with your nearest local au-
thorities or friends, who may be able
to help you find the means of holding
this seed grain. Have in mind, that
by "hOlding" l do not mean that you
haul the grain to the local shipping
elevator and take tickets for it, but
that you prevent it from going there
until those elevators are under such
proper national, state or local super
vision that grains. and particularly
wheat which is fit for use on the land
for sowing purposes may be binned
separately as to varieties and Kept
free from admixtures, injured seed
disease infected seed and weed con.
taminated seeds.
Sit Tight.
May we not hope that each of you
who think you are In hard circum-
stances will just now, during the time
when the governmentalj state and
local committees for the care of such
matters are adjusting themselves, sit
tight, with good courage? In this mat
ter of good seed for your own farm
you cannot for any reason afford to
fail to save every bit of the grain
which you have grown and If possible
save 1t dry-and keep 1t for your
own use or for sale to your neigh
bOrs. Remember what always hap
pens in this country; our farmers usu-
ally sell everything they have in the
fall, not uncommonly the very best OF
it is the first to go in the elevators.
They take tickets for it, If they think
of holding for a better price, but the
grain itself does not stay in the local
elevator It is Immediately mixed
with the worst stuff in the neighbor.
hood as It goes into the elevator. In
further transit to the terminals 1t be-
comes more mixed and jumbled with
all varieties of it's kind and all the
diseases and pests to which the crop
is heir-then what happens? In the
spring you or your ncighDors find that
you must have seed AS in the case
of last spring you are called upon,
either through your own necessity or
by emergency conditions of our gov
ernment as they now exist, to buy
other seed. and it comes to you from
where you know not and is of such
quality often as to be utterly untitled
for use as seed for sowing. You or
your Deighbors pay the price of ship
ping for all the distances that have
since it left its home town
until it gets back to you. with a good
to those who jumbled it, hon
estly or otherwise.
Hold our Seed.
This much | have said about the
seed question. 1t must be apparent
to you that many of your neighbors
need feed grains and iced stuffs to
keep the cattle that are in your neigh
borhood and the horses that are nee
essary to work your farms, etc Is
it wise to lose your courage just now
: - (ronf;nuod m paya Fight