Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-05
EXPECT CROP WILL
OVERTAX GRANAR|E5
IN DENTON SECTION
One Field Yields 80 Bushel
Wheat; Labor Shortage
Considered Serious.
Special to The Tribune.

Npecldi 10 Inc tribune.
Denton, Aug. 4.-Harvesting opera
tons are now on in full force in This
section and the first load of wheat
was brought into Denton on Tuesday
of this week from the {. \. Gladson
ranch. two miles south of town. That
field is yielding 30 bushels per acre
and is being harvested with a com
inc. The wheat is of excellent quail
ity and weighs 601a pounds to the
bushel. although there is a trace OF
smut in it.
Threshing will not start for another
week or possibly 10 days. and it viii
likely be that long before the first
car load of wheat will be shipped from
here. The storage capacity here which
is about 10000 bushels, will prob
ably be taxed to the limit and a mum
Der of farmers are already preparing
to build granaries in which to store
the grain. A new firm of Lewis &
Walden has rented offices here and
will buy independently. loading at the
track. They will build a small granary
in town.
Rain Aids Spring Wheat
The heavy rain which fell in this
territory about two weeks ago proved
a life saver to the spring wheat in
this section. as up to that time the
spring wheat was poor in most sec
tons. 1t will now. however. make q
coed yield and the prediction of over
three-quarters Of a million bushels for
Denton this year is now considered
too conservative.
In order to handle the labor situa-
ton. the city has established a city
employment agency which is conducted
without cost. The demand for labor
has kept well ahead of the supply.
although the situation is far from
critical. Harvest hands are being paid
$500 per day. and some are working
for less. One very unusual feature
this year is the fact that only one hail
storm was reported in the territory
which is tribuatory to Denton, and this
storm damaged less than 500 acres,
which was partially insured. Less
than half dozen claims for insurance
have been filed this year at Denton,
although there is still time enough for
hail losses before the grain will be in
the shock.
Hopper Damage Small
Some damage is still being done IN
Inc tate spring grain oF gF~assnoppelS
but in the large majority of fields,
the grain is so ripe that they are
leaving the fields for the grass, which
is still green and growing ~abundantly.
A large number of home made ma
chimes for catching the pests have
been in use here for the past two
weeks, and they have proven a very
economical way Of dealing with them.
The machines are usually placed on the
front end of automobiles and driven
through the fields. The largest and
most successful Of these machines was
constructed by Frank Skotchpol and
placed on an automobile truck. 1t
takes a swath of 10 feet and is made
adjustable so that it may be raised
or lowered so as TO just reach TO the
top of the wheat. The hoppers are
scooped out of the machine into
sacks. About 20 similar machines are
reported working in This section.
The shortage of Irvine has held up
the harvesting to some extent.
although enough Irvine to bind about
a half million bushels has already been
sold. Irvine is coming. in daily and
the shortage is only temporary.