The Ordway new era., 1920-09-03
handful Of Grain
Is Origin in U. S.
Of Marquis Wheat
David Fife, Scotchman, Intro
duced the Grain Here. Bring
ing in Small Amount In
Scotch Bonnet. Local Flour
Takes Name from this Wheat

The curiosities of literature shrink
beside the marvels of agriculture.
Some hundreds of millions of bushels
of Marquis wheat. now grown an
nually on the continent of North
America, are all descended from few
grains isolated in 1908. The story
of Marquis wheat is as interesting as
the plot of many a romantic novel.
Back in 1841 a Scotsman who had
been working for farmer named
David Fife, near Peterborough. On
tario, returned to his native country
under promise to send his cm-
ployer q Scottish bonnet, or Glen
garry As soon as he arrived in Glas-
gov he bought the bonnet. and. TAX
ing a stroll along the Broomielaw,
came upon a boat unloading cargo of
fine wheat. He filled the cap with a
sample of the wheat and sent 1t of
to his friend Fife in Canada.
Fife sowed the seed in the spring of
1912, but the cattle broke into his
garden and only three ears, or heads,
came to maturity. Being interested
in his friends gift, Fife saved the
wheat, and, in 1913, had pint of
seed. which multiplied as the years
went by, and by 1870 Red Fife, as
this new wheat was called after its
color and its owner, became favor
lite in Ontario. 1t was also known as
Scotch Fife and as Glasgow wheat
tho it was not grown in Scotland, and
the experts, when they examined 1t,
pronounced 1t 4 Galician variety. In
vestigation proved that the vessel in
the Glasgow docks in 1S41 had come
with cargo of wheat from Danzig,
the chief export outlet for Galicial
grain.
Red Fife was the staple Canadian
wheat in the seventies, but II had one
defect-it was slow to ripen, and the
early frosts blackencd many q first
class field of it. In 1888 botanist
named Saunders crossed 1t with more
than fifty other varieties, but failed
to solve the problem. The flour thus
produced was too yellow for the mar
kct. In 1903. however his son, Dr.
Charles E. Saunders, CHANGED to hit
on an ear of Red Fife which he
crossed with Hard Calcutta. and in
tho following year he succeeded in
growing twelve plants. The yield was
less than 4 pound of seed, but it rip
ened early. and the grains were
plump. He named 1t Marquis, after
the then governor general of Canada,
the marquis of Lorne. BY the aut-
umn of 1906 he had two-third of a
bughel
In 1907 all the seed that could be
spared-twenty-thr pounds-was
sent to the experimental station at
Indian Head. Saskatchewan. 1t lived
up to expectations. and two years lat
er four hundred samples were dis
tributed to Canadian farmers. Their
reports were enthusiastic. The early
wheat, SO long sought, had been
found. Since then ito fame has spread
widely and Marquis wheat is now
grown not only in Canada, but in
Minnesota and the Dakotas. where
rust has hitherto played havoc, and
where early harvest prevents losses
thru frost.
Ordway's new -four the Marquis
brand. gets it's name from this wheat.
The marquis variety of wheat is Pc
cularly adapted to this locality, and
is fast becoming the principal variety
of wheat grown in Crowley county.
The Crowley County Milling & Mer-
cantile Co.. finds 1t is O wheat which
should be grown here exclusively.
being the best and tending to i'm
prove the wheat market by having a
sufficient of one particular variety to
bring q better price.