The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1902-08-16
Flax DOESN'T HURT LAND.
Flax Is Not as Hard on Land M
Whcat-It is the Flax Wilt Fungus
.
~AAA~A

hf-IAE. I-AsE#EsE ~ "~- aL E-E H-L -E .E .I
Flax Ia Not as Hard on Land ms
Whcat-It is the Flax wilt uneus
which Causes the Trouble, aE
There !s an innate belief on the part
of the great majority Of farmers that
q as a crop. is very destructive tt
the fertility of the soil. This belief
would at first seem to be well founded.
The flax crop has been raised for thou
sands OF years, but it's history indicates
that, practically, there are only two
ways In which any continuous success
may be had with the crop. 1t must
either be grown upon new or virgin sod,
or upon land which has not been seed
ed to flax for a considerable number of
years. In Holland, North France, Irs-
land, Belgium and Germany, the best
farmers say it should not be sown on
the SAM laad more often than once IN
twelve to fourteen years. Some Belgi-
UNI farmers claim they can get a good
crop as often as once in seven years,
provided they sow a very clean, perfect
type Of seed. Now, we It the agricult-
ural college happen to start in this
state at q very favorable time to work
with this flax trouble. We have found
that the flax plant is not particularly
n 4A0Au upOIl 4dllu, IAAdlA we CdL1 6CS NOSSSSA
crops of wheat after fax than after
wheat, oats. barley, or perhaps any 9TH
er crop excepting a cultivated one. Our
chemist has found that fax does not
take more fertility from soil than does
wheat, indeed, not quite so much. Our
aericulturist has found that a consid-
cradle better crop car be raised after
fax than after wheat, and in the bio
logical department we have found that
the real cause why flax seems to be
hard Upon land. why, for example, fax
cannot be raised year after year upon
the same land without making the soil
f1ax-sick, Is a fungus parasite which
grows upon he fax plant and pro-
duces a large number of spores, which
get into the seed at threshing time .Oy
falling off from the sick, wilted and
dricd-upt straws. We find that this
fungus develops in the soil, and stays
there a number of years, living upon
the decayed matter of the soil, whereait
can attack the young flax when. the
next crop of fax is put upon the land.
Hence, farmers have supposed that. as
the flax plants quickly die off, there
must be something lost from the soil
by the previous crop which h flax
needs for food. Many experiments
prove that this is no h case. Here Is
an example: If one takes enough OF
this aax-sick soil, where flax plants will
no longer grow, to make a good-sized
pot experiment. or small bed, and
steams the soil for such bed thorough
ly, one can then plant treated flax SEED
upon such steamed soil apd grow a per-
feet crop of flax to complete maturity,
without any disease. The steaming
kills all life that is in the soil, but 1t ts
not sufficient to make n material
change. in the soil. 1t is thus proven
that there is something alive In the
soil which attacks the flax plant ana
= Kills It. 1t is also proven that the SOL
is yet fertile enough to grow a goou
tcrop of flax, If only we could get rid OF
the fungus, which, experiments show
us, can prodlce the disease we
place it in the soil. The common way
of putting the fungus into the new sou
is by a Of the seed. If you do MOI
know how to select seed from your crop
as ii IS now growing, SO as not to SOW
more fax-wilt fungus into your land
write to -he college. H. y. Boley.
~ WHEl EH |hA -I +L~ t4L -- LLA SIC