The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-05-09
NEED OF ELEVATORS TO CARE
FOR THE LARGE CROP
Measures Should Be Taken To
Ensure Its Storage and
Handling
IspeciaI to Free Press. I,

Washington, d. c., May with a
wheat crop of over billion bushels
in prospect in the United States this
season-the geatest crop the country
has ever produced-the need for eff
forts by Farmers and elevator COM
panies to market and store the grain
with the least possible loss and con-
gestion of traffic is impressed by the
bureau of markets of the United
States department of agriculture. In
calling attention to this great mar
keting problem the department says
that every possible measure should
be taken to insure the safe storage
and handling of this enormous crop.
Last year, with crop Of about
900 100000 bushels, the rushing of
the grain market Immediately after
harvest caused a congestion all the
way from the terminal markets to
the farm The wheat backed up
after the terminal elevators were full
and congested the railroads and all
county elevators. The result was that
embargoes were placed on further
shipments until the terminals could
be cleared. Fortunately, the winter
was an open one, or the loss due to
lack of proper storage would have
been heavy.
| North Dakota Congestion Recalled.
Attention is called by the bureau
of markets to the, situation that pre-
vailed in North Dakota in the winter
of 1876, following crop in that
state of 150,000,000 bushels. Owing
to congestion of elevators at coun-
try stations, due to the inability of
the railroads to carry the wheat away
as rapidly as the farmers hauled it
in, platforms were built and nun
| dreds of thousands of bushels Of
wheat were piled up in the open.
In addition, great quantities of wheat
were stored in improvised bins.
One result of this condition was
that during the following summer
many farmers provided themselves
with galvanized iron storage tanks
on their farms.
In Washington and Oregon. last
year and in 1917, many farmers built
portable wooden storage bins to hold
about 1000 bushels each.
Stacking Partial Solution.
| In some parts of the country last
| summer, especially in Indiana, for
example, stacking was feature of
crop handling where it never had been
! before. Stacking is a partial solution
to the grain congestion problem which
every farmer can apply. Further
more, he is likely to be a gamer by
the practice, for wheat that sweats
in the stack, except during an unus-
ually dry harvest season, will be of
| a better qualit. CSan II thrashed from
! the shock If stacked at once after
harvest, weather permitting, the
farmer may then thrash and market
| the wheat at his convenience There
| is the further advantage that the
wheat will not deteriorate should
rains come as it would in the shock.
AS marketing proposition, stacking
as soon as the wheat has become
thoroughly dry after harvest is good
business" particularly with a billion
bushel crop and congested shortage
facilities in sight.
| Farmers should consider the queS-
ton of providing themselves with
storage facilities. Provision may be
made to store wheat in buildings al
| ready constructed or farm granaries
and portable bins may be provided.
The United States department of
agriculture has specifications for
portable farm granary, issued as
Markets Document No. IL.