HOW ONE MAN CAME TO WRECK 



he was sure there was no moisture in it when 

 it left him. "No Grade" wheat had to take 

 its chances to be sold on sample. When he 

 had completed this chapter of his experience 

 he found that he had a smaller return than for 

 the wheat he sold outright to the elevator 

 men. 



He now broke the remaining twenty acres 

 of his farm and the next year seeded it with 

 the rest. There was too much dry weather 

 that summer and he made an average of only 

 nine bushels to the acre instead of thirteen. 

 The yield generally through the country was 

 smaller than the previous year, but the farm- 

 ers consoled themselves with the prospect 

 of better prices. Instead of being better the 

 market was worse. 



With the utmost difficulty he made the 

 September interest on his mortgage. The 

 following March he defaulted on it. The 

 bank began foreclosure. Then he lost suc- 

 cessively his team, harness, and machines 

 to the loan shark, and the following winter 

 he was working for wages on a ranch in 

 Montana and the wife had gone back to Iowa. 



But before he was thus ignominiously 

 driven from the field he learned two or three 

 facts that enlightened him greatly as to the 

 causes of his defeat. He learned, for instance, 

 that the "Arctic Elevator Company" of Jason 

 and the "Farmers' Grain Company" of 



31 



