The Washington herald., 1917-07-19
HOLLAND LETTER
The Biggest Daily
Financial News Feature Of
the Counhy's Best Newspapers,

1 1tiHCo oNSi tiS ANpOilS CdIne
to 1t that told Of shortage of buck
wheat seed In the States where tho
larger harvests of buckwheat are
| usually garnered. The department
was satisfied that this shortage was
not due to. exhaustion of seed bus
probably would, upon investigation,
be found to have been occasioned b,
accumulation of buckwheat by those
who purposed exporting 1t. At that
time the government had no power
which would enable 1t to commanded
buckwheat and the department was
therefore compelled to rely upon such
| service as those who were familiar
with the business would be able to
give.
Across the sea, and especially in
Germany, buckwheat flour is more ex-
| tensively used for food than is the
case in the United States where the
-four is principally made use of in
| the form of buckwheat cakes. Tho
| department summoned to its assistance
Theodore P. Huffman, probably for
the reason that Mr.. Huffman is known
to be one of the leading dealers of
the United States in hay and in grain.
At the time when Great Britain was
fighting the Beers in South Africa.
Mr.. Kaufman exported to the order
of the British government vast
amounts of hay to South Africa.
Mr.. Huffman promised to give the
Department OF Agriculture such aid
as was possible, first in discovering
whether there were somewhere under
i cover considerable stocks of buck
wheat and next IL there were such
discovery he would attempt to secure
the entire amount. Associated with
Mr.. Huffman Is an expert, Franklin
L. Levi, who Is known favorably in
all the produce exchanges and the
other markets where hay and grain,
especially oats, are dealt in. He was
asked by Mr.. Huffman to make such
investigation as was possible. He
started out without any bearings, in
the air SO to speak. but gradually
scented buckwheat in various places
in and near New York City. At
last Mr.. Levi uncovered a hundred
and twenty thousand bushels of
buckwheat which had been collected
by exporters and with some secrecy
maintained until it could be delivered
to vessels bound for Holland. There
was no legal evidence that the final
destination of this buckwheat was
Germany, but there seemed to be
moral evidence in plenty that IL 1t
were exported to Holland it would
| ultimately find its way into Germany.
The Agricultural Department at
Washington was informed that there
had ben uncovered in and near New
, York a hundred and twenty thou
sand bushels of buckwheat which in
the course Of few days or as soon
as transportation could be furnished
| would be on its way to Holland.
presumably thence to Germany. The
department acted upon the instant.
kilograms were sent to the executive
authorities in those States where
buckwheat is usually an important
crop and from which earnest appeals
had come for seed. The department
asked these executives to state as
soon as possible how much buck
wheat they would need for planting
purposes with intent as soon as re-
plies were received to make proper
tionate distribution of 1t.
The replies came to the department
about as swiftly as the telegraph
service made 1t possible. thereby re-
ealing the urgency of the demand.
Some OF them were from governors of
States. All spoke in terms of graft
fication at the prospect of securing a
sufficient supply of buckwheat seed
for planting purposes.
There arose, however. the question
| whose answer would show what the
necessary or best means of securing
the seed was. 1t could only he OBJ
tanned by purchase and in order to
buy 1t was inevitable that unusually
iok {~
fact. would be set by the owners OF
| this buckwheat for 1t. There was no
! time for delay or haggling. nor was
| 1t possible to drive any hard bargain.
| Mr.. Huffman agreed to pay to these
| exporters the price they demanded for
the buckwheat, promising that 1t
would be spot cash transaction.
At last he secured the entire amount
that had been, until Mr.. Lewis in
under cover. The depart
ment at Washington was therefore
able to apportion to the different
States the proportionate amount of
| buckwheat each was to receive and
the understanding was that there
should be immediate cash payment
for 1t.
Pennsylvania Is one OF the leading
! buckwheat producing States in the
Union. Whether her authorities ask
ed for more than 5000 bushels or
not is not known, but that amount
was Apportioned to Pennsylvania. The
! Pennsylvania Railroad management
having been informed of the emer-
gency and told that the season was
! getting late for planting promised to
| furnish ample transportation for 30,
coo, 900 bushels of buckwheat which was
| to be delivered at some designated
place in Pennsylvania. That railroad
company was prompt to the minute.
so that in a short time Pennsylvania
received 10000 bushels of buckwheat
which without delay was planted
New York wanted at least 10000
bushels and that was the amount ap-
! portioned to the State. The New York
| Central Railway and the Erie, not
withstanding the lack of freight cars,
promised to furnish a sufficient amount
to transport the buckwheat to those
stations of the State where that is
| one of the principal crops. These
railroad companies fulfilled their prom
| ise Other States received approXi-
mately the proportionate amount of
the remaining 10000 bushels of buck
wheat.
So speedily was this work done, that
the experts of the department were
| able to report a day or two ago that
from these 10000 bushels of buck
wheat there will be harvested, If
weather conditions are favorable, be-
tween 100000 and 100000 bushels Of
| buckwheat.
The incident makes 1t clear how ac-
lively occupied the Department of
Agriculture Is in aiding the govern
ment in securing large food crops. 1t
also tends to justify the suspicion that.
| until this time, when the embargo
is within the power of the President,
vast quantities of foodstuffs sold to