The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1918-10-11

In an interview with the Producers
News, John Smithmeyer told the fol-
lowing story:
The crops of 1916 and 1917 were
a failure and left me practically
broke or maybe worse; in fact leaving
me badly in debt. When the seed
grain bonding bill ewas passed we
thought that a much deserved help
would be given the farmers and our
hearts were much lighter at the pros
pect for the coming year. I and the
farmers voted for the bonds at the
bonding election and myself and two
of my friends, Jacob Ronning of An
telope and Tilsken Olson of Dooley,
Went to Plentywood and made ap-
phcation for seed grain through Mr..
II. 0. Stenehjem, at the Sheridan
County State Bank, which gentleman,
handed the same to the County Audi
tor.
In due course of time contract
was forthcoming all made out but
the signing. I read it over and de-
cided that I had been stung. l made
up my mind that I did not want any
of the county seed grain.
In the preliminaries of the loan I
had eplainxed that I could get the
seed from neighbor; seed that I
knew was first class, cleaned grain
and | had spoken for seed in the fall.
| explained that I could get this
wheat from my neighbor, Ed. Spok-
lie, paying him $2.1O for cleaned
wheat; $500 for cleaned flax; SLIP
for cleaned oats. But the county
authorities didn't seem to want US
to buy the seed from our neighbors,
though it seemed to me no more than
fair that the local taxpayers should
have a chance to sell first, especial
ly when the farmers in the county
were willing to sell for so much less
than the Montana & Dakota Eleva-
tors and / can't for the life of me see
how it came that the seed contract
was let the way it was.
Here the Producers News man
could not help remarking, "You are
farmer, you are not supposed To
understand such things. You 'slop
your hogs and leave such things to
Sunny jim" and "The Three blind
Men from Bombay"
WE'LL" Smithmeyer continued, 81
,.fc't buy my seed from tli'. county.
7 went to NV old friend, MI E. w.
Tcluski at Plentyvood, who hue Just
returned from California. and Dor
y, ved $475.0O of him On my role Sc
tu'ed by crop mortgage at twelve
pei cent interest. ! did not have TO
wait and sign applications and mon
key away my time. | got the money
even if I did have to pay for it and
[ was ahead of the game at that; for
| bought my seed, fine, clean seed, at
the following prices: wheat, $40;
flax, $500 and oats Slip. have
never heard of Mr.. Paluski making
an awful noise about his patriotism
or of his joining any "Loyalty'
league, however, | was able to Dor
row money from him to plant my
acres as President Wilson had asked
and | got the money in manner
That enabled me to get my seed from
my honest neighbors, instead of the
Montana & Dakota Elevator Com
pany, whom [ understand got the
contract to supply the seed grain be-
cause they were so loyal and patriot
ic. Anyone can take a pencil and fig
ure out how much I saved"
II farm both my and my sisters
place. We seeded 100 acres of wheat,
so acres of flax and % acres of
oats. Some of our wheat went 20
bushels per acre and the rest Is. Our
fax will average 10 bushels and the
oats 40 bushels per acre. This fall
will see my sister and I almost even,
thanks to Mr.. Paluski."
The Producers News" then inter
viewed Mr.. Jacob Ronning. Mr.
Ronning said: eyes, I made an ap-
plication for seed grain to Sunny
JIM" The contract came along and
I read it over. I figures out how
much I was being stuck for my seed
and hearing that the contract for
seed had been given to the Montana
& Dakota Elevator Company and
that I was not going to be allowed
to buy my seed from my neighbors,
made up my mind that there was
something rotten in Denmark and
went to the bank and borrowed the
raoney at IL per cent and bought il
from my neighbor at saving of six
ty or seventy-five dollars"