The 'Hulless' Oat Craze of 1876
A Vermont promoter and a Duwamish River farmer pitch a new 'agricultural wonder' to the settlers of Washington Territory.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
To farmers: The highest honors in the way of premiums and silver medals on grain products have been awarded by several of the Eastern, Middle and Western states to W.A. Bontelle, the originator of the Hulless Oats. This agricultural wonder has been originated by hybridizing the California silver oat with the old-fashioned English oats. These oats are two weeks earlier than the common variety, therefore not so liable to rust, escaping the rusty season. They can be raised on any ground that we can raise the common oat, with more than double the profit to the grower. One pound of the Hulless Oats will make as much flour as pounds of the common oat. Having raised a small crop of the Hulless Oats from the seed procured from W.A. Bontelle, I am prepared to furnish a limited quantity to farmers on the Sound at reasonable rates. All orders left with Mr. Carr, at the Seattle Post-office, will be promptly filled. Parties desiring to inspect the quality of the oats before purchasing can do so upon application to Mr. Carr, my agent. — John T. Jordan, Duwamish River.
“This agricultural wonder has been originated by hybridizing the California silver oat with the old-fashioned English oats.”
Long before Seattle became a hub for tech innovation, it was a testing ground for 'disruptive' agricultural products. Much like today's venture-backed food startups, the 1876 market relied on high-concept promises of efficiency—in this case, oats that were resistant to rust and more profitable to harvest.
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