I hear you kenneson
Russell and the Miracle Wheat Scandal
by Wild_Thing 16 Replies latest jw friends
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GLTirebiter
This BBC article reminded me of the "miracle wheat" incident. Unlike Russell's snake oil, this will be tested before it goes on the market.
British scientists say they have developed a new type of wheat which could increase productivity by 30%.
The Cambridge-based National Institute of Agricultural Botany has combined an ancient ancestor of wheat with a modern variety to produce a new strain.
In early trials, the resulting crop seemed bigger and stronger than the current modern wheat varieties.
It will take at least five years of tests and regulatory approval before it is harvested by farmers.
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james_woods
“It was styled ‘Miracle Wheat,’ and it was asserted that it would grow five times as much as any other brand of wheat.
How could anybody believe that one "special" wheat hybrid could produce FIVE TIMES as much produce as any other brand?
Fifteen percent more would be a fantastically good number!
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Anony Mous
Not only wheat but also beans:
1912 Watchtower p4960
PROLIFIC BEANS FOR SEED
Sister Smith, of Nebraska, recently discovered one stalk of beans which she declares yielded so prolifically that she calls it the Millennial Bean. She desires to get the beans into the hands of others, and at the same time to make a donation to our Tract Fund for the sending forth of free spiritual food to the hungry. Accordingly the beans have been sent to our office.
We believe the project quite a proper one, and if the beans be as prolific elsewhere as in Nebraska, we would be glad to purchase them at the rate of five beans for one dollar. (We have heard of seed wheat selling at one dollar per grain.)
However, in view of unfriendly criticism of enemies, we think it best not to sell these beans, but to give them free to our subscribers who have gardens, and who will request them --five beans each.
Sister Smith writes that they should be planted one bean to the hill, and the hills six feet apart. They should be planted in April. They keep bearing right along for weeks, and five should supply a small family. They will be ready to ship in February.
The wheat supply is in the 1911 Watchtower p4844:
A DONATION OF MIRACLE WHEAT
Brother Bohnet writes us that he has gradually accumuluated a crop of miracle wheat from the few grains he obtained as a start. He prefers that the first opportunity for obtaining this wheat shall go to The Watch Tower readers. He will sell it for $1 per pound, including postage, and give the entire proceeds to our Society. All orders for this wheat should be addressed, Miracle Wheat Bohnet, 17 Hicks street, Brooklyn, N. Y. This will keep, mail on this subject separate from his personal mail and from ours. Brother Bohnet promises to be ready to ship this wheat by August 1. He says miracle wheat should be sowed one fourth as thick as common wheat. Ordinarily it should produce from ten to fifteen times as much proportionately to the amount sown. To save keeping account, money should accompany the order. Watch Tower readers will have the preference up to August 15, after which orders will be attended to indiscriminately, so long as the supply holds out. This wheat should be sown in the fall.
Readers got primed in prior Watch Tower articles for this ploy:
Approached from the Bible standpoint, these miracles are most rational, but not from any other standpoint. The power of God, which produces, in the recently discovered "miracle- wheat," as much as two hundred and fifty grains from one kernel, is surely sufficient to produce many times as much if the necessity occurred. Are we not surrounded by miracles continually?
About three years ago a Virginia farmer found one abnormal bunch of 120 stalks of wheat from one root the off-spring of one grain of wheat. Under the name of ’miracle wheat’ it is now being developed slowly in various parts--the average yield appears to be about 1,200 grains from one kernel.
In October 1 1910 under VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER they were talking about this Miracle Wheat and Miracle Rye as well
I mean, it's a long con trick and repeated over and over again for years on end in Watch Tower publications. The Bohnet character only appears later on probably as a fall guy since by then the trick was probably played out but before that, it's Watch Tower (Russell) that promotes and sells this. The Watch Tower from that period is now public domain and freely accessible by computers.
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Julia Orwell
Looks like something from an old Tintin!
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Scott77
Wow, just read and is suprised. I think, it would be a good thing if anyone living in New york state can dig deeper to obtain original copies of court transcriptions ruling and post them here. I have often wondered how the watchtower as so smart to obtain those expensive real estates in NY. Now, Iam getting the idea.
Scott77
