St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-04

plants grown upon infested soil. The
various fungicideS experimental with
are usually applied in aliauid form, the
seeds of the plants to be protected be-,
ing soaked for a longer or shorter period
IN such solutions. In the case of fax
another method had to be applied, as
Its seeds cannot be soaked without
Sticking together. SO that they could not
pc seeded in the usual way. To over
cpme this difficulty very dry soil from
the plots themselves was carefully
slfted, and the fungicides were thor
Oughly mixed with this earth. Either
% or 100 pounds of soil were thus mixed
With the fungicides, for each plot, and
THIS mixture was seeded by
Means of the Drill
with the flaxseed. This, of course, made
the mixture rather stronger than simply
an immersion would have done, aud the
fnngicideS remained for a longer time
in contact with the seed-in fact, sur
rounding it. The fungicides used were
hyp0sulphite of sodium, air-slaked lime.
shlphide of sodium, flowers of sulphur
with air-slaked lime. sulphate of cop
per with air-slaked lime. sulphate of
iron and lime, corrosive Subilmate and
shlphate of copper. In due time all the
SEEDS terminated and the plants ap-
peared. But after reaching height of
three inches the plants became dis
eased, and soon disappeared.
These experiments seem to indi-
cate that it is not a specific
vegetable disease that affects the plants.
because one or the other of the fungi
cides would have shown the effects of
the application. AS soon as the disease
appeared, the plants were closely IN
spected with the microscope. But no
trace of specific organism could be
found. The young plants, when reach
ing the height of three inches, would
simply wilt, turn black and drop. The
roots would be firm for little longer.
owing to the moisture of the surround
ing soil, but eventually they would also
disappear.
A cure for the disease does not seem
possible. All the experiments pointed
to one thing, viz, the disease, or what
ever it is, can be carried by means of
wafer. and the straw of old flax from in
tested lands to soil not yet invaded.
The assumption is that there is some
thing in the flaxseed Itself which pro-
dnces such symptoms of a disease. TO
settle this point third series of expert
mentS became necessary. The expert
mentS were planned not to cure a
disease. but to produce it in an artificial
way. Ii this is possible i'll soils not af-
fected with the disease, and with straw
of healthy flax, it will go far to show
that the disease is not produced by
microscopic parasitic organisms, but by
something entirely different.
These experiments were carried on at
Window and at the state expe rimental
station. The results proved that flax is
an "dnkind' plant, that is, ''unKind' to
its owl offspring, and that flax will not
succeed flax. The experiments showed
that prevention of the disease is posi-
BILE, but not cure. The straw of the
flax itself is the sole cause of the
trouble. A proper rotation of crops is
the only help against the trouble. Flax
should be followed, if possible, by some
crops that have to be cultivated. so that
the old straw of the flax is removed, and
that volunteer plants cannot survive. A
proper rotation is very much more i'm
portant in this state, where the flax is
not grown for the sake of its fiber. In
other countries where the flax is pulled,
but little of the old chaff remains in the
ground, yet even there it is we'll under
stood that flax Should not be grown
more than once in seven years upon the
same field. The culture of fax has
attained its greatest perfection in Bel
GUM. where numerous systems of
rotation are in general use. All have
one point in common. VIZ, two crops of
similar kind must not succeed each
other.
The experiments will be continued,
and promise to be very valuable to the
agricultural interests.