The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, May 10, 1917, Page 8

b} i ot s N N e e e Has Anybody Seen Any “Humpback?” Professor Bolley Is Anxious to Get Samples to Find Out WAY back in the days of the walking plow and the old- 4 fashioned country W] gardens filled with Sweet == Williams, and, Phlox and Bachelor Buttons, there was a variety of wheat known as ‘“Humpback.” It was a pretty good wheat of the beard- less type, with a full berry, and grow- ing in a peculiar position on the stalk. It was never very plentiful, and no one thought much about it. It was just wheat and went to the elevators along with the rest and was sold by sight and touch with no more than the custom- ary bickering between the farmer and the elevator man. Finally it vanished from the knowl- edge of men, the farmers quit growing it, and the word that once represented it went into the limbo of spring styles of hats, and hoop skirts. It was nix. No one was any the worse for it, and no one mourned for a return of “Humpback.” No one ever thought of trying to revive it, and no one ever thought of building a scarecrow to keep it away. HUMPBACK, FORGOTTEN, BECOMES A CURIOSITY Things moved along for a good many years Jjust as-though there had never been any “Humpback.” Occasionally a farmer who, like Noah, had put a kernel or two to propagating itself, would, perhaps without realizing that it was one of the forgotten species of the world, send a handful to the state seed testing laboratory of North Da- kota, at Fargo and ask what this rather odd grain was. No one ever seemed to.- have much of it and only an occasional sample would come, hut those who saw it growing in a field of fife or bluestem would recognize it as something different, and would pick it out as a curiosity, and send it in for a naming, just as they would have sent in a peanut vine if they had found it in the potato patch. But “Humpback” has come back with a boom. It is having another vogue, just as pointed toed shoes come in every few years long enough to put all the prevailing fashions of com- fortable shoes out of the running. It is going to go through a season of spot- light notoriety along with the “mustard shades” of spring coats that the fash- ionable young ladies are wearing in the towns. And the stylemaker who has brought it back is C. J. Brand, official announc- WHAT BOLLEY SAYS ABOUT ‘‘HUMPBACK’’ “I am very anxious to earry out some experiments on the so- called ‘Humpback’ wheat. This variety of wheat has been ]arg_ely used by the United States bureau of grain standards in establish- ing the present national grades. It is apparent that they consider it a wheat of low value for milling purposes. ‘Tt is self-evident that in some way we must prevent it from becoming intermixed with the varieties of wheat which the United States grain grading department considers high grade wheat. It is therefore of the utmost importance that we learn to recognize it in all its forms. ““ A few years ago we grew here in our grounds a few rows of this kind of wheat. From year to year in the seed laboratory we have now and then received a sample from somebody asking what kind of wheat it is. I have never known but one variety of wheat properly named ‘Humpback.’ 1 have received a good deal of correspondence which indicates that there is much confusion as to what ‘Humpback’ wheat is. ‘T therefore wish to plant a large number of samples this spring on the same piece of ground under the same conditions of land, for it is important to know if there really be more than one variety of ‘Humpback’ wheat..- I will therefore be much obliged to any reader of this article who will at once send me a small mailing package of any wheat known to him under the name of ‘Humpback.’ Kindly also inform me as to how much of this has been grown in your neighborhood during the last year and if it would be possible for me to buy it in larger amount for some other larger experiments than these mentioned.”’ —=Statement by H. L. Bolley, botanist and state seed commis- sioner, Agricultural College, N. D. ~ er for Uncle Sam in the game of mak- ing wheat grades. BUT IT GETS INTO THE SPOTLIGHT NOW “Humpback” may be said to be a “Brand new” classification for wheat. It was old and forgotten but everyone who ever knew anything about it can now make use of his knowledge. 1t is not expected that very many farmers will remember it. If not, so much the better. The people who will know all about “Humpback” will be the elevator buyers at the country side tracks, and the inspectors at the Twin Cities and Duluth on and after August 1, 1917. It could not be expected that fash- ions for wheat should continue zlong in the same old channels without any iouch of high life for years and years. This will give tone to the wheat trade, put ginger into every wheat buyer, and stimulate the farmers to educate them- selves, because the new grades for hard spring wheat that go into effect cn the date mentioned, are primarily based upon the amount of ‘“Hump- back” the grain contains. If a load of wheat contains too much of this rare grain it can not be classi- fied as- hard spring wheat at all, ten- per cent being the maximum limit. It can only go “mixed” or “sample.” The No. 1 Brand grades will not tolerate_ more than two per cent, No. 2 not more than four per cent, and so on down to the maximum. But for the comfort of those farmers who have been raising wheat without any knowledge that there ever was such a name, Mr. Brand has devised a special fall style in wheat to be known as “Red Spring Humpback,” and those who find themselves growing whole fields of this supposedly forgotten food Another Mill That Defends “D Feed” Another flour mill has been reported by a satisfied customer, to prove that the “feed D” wheat which the Minne- apolis chamber of commerce disparages, is being ground into flour of good quality. This is the mill of B. Kroll at Cor- morant, Minn,, and the customer who reports his experience is O. T. Berg. Mr. Berg had 22 bushels and 25 pounds of wheat that tested only 45 pounds to the bushel, and from it he got 693 pounds of flour besides bran, shorts, and screen- ings. This is simply additional corroboration of evidence the Leader has been publishing for several months, pointing to the fact that the light test wheat does make good flour, and almost as much of it as the higher grades, and that the Minneapolis chamber of commerce in trying to discredit such wheat and beat down the price is getting at a low price material which it works into its highest grades of flour, and which it uses to mix with higher grades of wheat. Other mills which the Leader has shown are making a practice of grinding this wheat into_flour and giving entire satisfaction are those at Phelps, Minn., at Audubon, Minn,, and the mill at the North Dakota Agricultural college. EIGHT Effect of the New Federal Grain Grades stuff, will find the elevators buyers ready te welcome them with a special * " geries of grades and a clean cut in prices that will show every farmer how well it pays to be scientific. No one who grows wheat need to fear but that he will have some of this “Hump- back.” Care was taken so that even if the percentage was very small, this rare grain would get due recognition. If he only has two per cent, he will know it. If he has more, he will sime ply get more recognition. BEWARE OF MIXING AND SEND SAMPLES That is why Professor Bolley wants to get samples of “Humpback” from all growers who have it. Every wheat grower must at once post himself on what Mr. Brand (and his advisers be- hind the scenes) call “Humpback.” Professor Bolley will plant some from every sample that comes in, and find how many farmers are growing it, and how much, and tell them something about it SO THAT THEY WILL NOT MIX A HUMPBACK = WITH ANY, OTHER KIND OF WHEAT. For even if they should have all “Humpback” the special grades de- vised for recognition of this curious survivor of the early days, DEMAND “HUMPBACK,” SO PURE THAT NOT MORE THAN 10 PER CENT OF ANY OTHER KIND OF GRAIN CAN BE PRESENT WITH IT. 'If the farmer forfeits the joy of getting into the “Humpback” grades, and must take plain “mixed” or “sample.” So it behooves the farmers to fur< bish up their memories and their knowledge of “Humpback” and if they have any, send some samples in to Professor Bolley, botanist dt North Dakota Agricultural College, for classi= fication and report. ‘Elevator Managers to Meet LANNING to bring all genuine farmers’ elevator companies of the Northwest into their new organization, “The Di=- rectors and Managers' AsSsO= ciation of Farmers’ Elevators,” of- ficers of the association have issued a call for a semi-annual meeting to be held at Fargo, N. D., July 10-12, in- clusive. % Among the subjects announced for discussion are: State Owned Terminals, Terminal Markets, Hedging, Car Cooperage, The Best Make of Cleaners, Car Movers, Uniform Sets of Books, Best Methods of Auditing, Track Scales. The Directors and Managers asso= ciation is a new organization which its officers believe is destined tg have rapid growth. Copies of the constitu- tion and by-laws have been sent to all - farmers’ elevator companies and addi- tional copies may be secured by ad- dressing the officers. All members enrolled and paying dues before June 20, it is announced, will be listed as charter members. In the call for the Fargo meeting, discussing the needs for co-operation, it is stated: “All sorts of schemes and tricks are put forth to get business away from the farmers’ elevator, and it must be admitted that the,opposing forces have, in many cases, been surprisingly suc- cessful. Had they not been success= ful there would be none except farm- ers’ elevators in the entire Northwest. “The farmer grows the grain and should market his own products, not ° only in the local elevator, but in the terminal ‘as well Many farmers realize this fact, but because of com- petition have béen led away from their own institutions and have hauled their-- grain to line elevators. It is, there- fore, up to the farmers’, elevators to wake up to the need of co-operation in order to be able to compete with his scheming competitor: “We are trying to take a step in that direction by calling into existence an organization in which the farmers and grain buyers may devise plans to meet this competition. Let the farmers of the Northwest and-the farmers’ ele- vator managers get together in one large organization in order that these two distinet business enterprises may. become better acquainted”. Officers of the organization are: August Nelson, Crosby, N. D., presi=" dent; G. H. Bruns, Oriska, N. D., treas- . urer; J. A. Axtell, Carrington, N. D., secretary. < ~