Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-21
A[FA[FAS[ED CROP
WILL BRING VALLEY
COUNTY THOUSANDS
Product Will Net Growers Over
$4,000; Largest Returns
of Amy Crop in Ceantyj
snaeia4 g. The Tribune.

ESUeclal no ~ -
Glasgow, Dec M.-.alles comfy
farms this year produced more 1hal
25O,ON pounds OF ailaita sesu -
with a market already assured, ~ -
estimated that the crop WIZ yieia tbe
growers more than S51 900. the largest
net returns per acre Of any crop grown
in the county. A total Of l.50o acres
was seeded to alfalfa and there was an
average Weld of 1870 pounds OF seed per
acre. according to County Agent NJ. H..
Stebbins.
From present indications, valley
comfy will ship out about as much
seed as all the rest of the state and
shipments to date have been well scat
tered. assuring the county OF substah-
tial advertising. Two carloads OF seed.
representing 1885 pounds, went TO
the State Nursery and Seed COMPANY
of Helena. f27, 600 pounds to Northrup.
King s. Co. and 33,563 pounds were
purchased by the Albert Dickinson
company Of Chicago. The remainder
of. the crop, more than 10000 pounds,
will be marketed soon.
Increased 1900 Per Cent
Perhaps no crop grown in Valley
county has enjoyed such a rapid rise in
value as has alfalfa seed, the figures
of County Agent Stebbins revealing
that it's returns have increased approx
~irnately 1900 per cent in the last few
years. In 1917 the seed crop was
valued at 81, GOO and the last year.,
S51,277.2O. This great increase. ac-
cording to County Agent Stebbins, is
mainly due to the growers being edu-
Gated to the value of the seed crop
through cooperative marketing and
the sale of clean No. | seed.
Three kinds of alfalfa seed are
grown and sold in Valley county. affi-
davit Grimm and registered Grimm. the
common variety netting the grower 20
cents a pound at Glasgow. Affidavit
Grimm seed. which is produced from
registered Grimm seed but not in turn
registered. has been yielding the farmer
between 90 and 30 cents with most of
it selling at 2S cents. One grower.
Tom Pointer, who produced $4,000
pounds, will at sales price of % cents.
realize more than $1,000 from his crop.
Brings 50 Cents
Registered Grimm seed, produced
in sealed bags. seeded on clean
fields and inspected at least once by
q representative from the Montana
S~eedgrowers' association, will be sold
under seal by the county agent. Reg
istered Grimm seed is selling for 80
cents Il pound, which will bring Her
man Slowing, who produced 5000
pounds, a profit of $4,000. There was
about $4,000 pounds of registered
Grimm seed grown in the county.
Because If the hardness of Montana
seed. which has always sold at a pre-
MUM on the eastern market, there is
said by County Agent stebbins t. be
a tendency on the part Of several seed
houses to ship in a supply of seed from
this state and then blend with it the
product of other states. In one in
stance, he said, two or three carloads
of Montana amounted to nor than
80 carloads when sold. therefore de-
| stroying the reputation of Montana
seed and causing the loss of its iden-
tity.
A system is now employed by County
Agent Stebbins which enables a COM
p1ere check II seed transactions from
the time ii leaves the grower until it
reaches Il seed house. Affidavits are
kept Of oil facts aud should q seed
house. known TO have purchased a GER
tain amount of Montana seed and to
have sold more under the Montana
name. this information is made public
through the state department of agri-
culture TO the discredit of the dishonest
seed firm.