The Minneapolis journal., 1902-07-26
FLAX-SICK SOIL
BoIley Advises North Dakota Far.
~ mers How to Treat 1t. -. ~.

r
~ mers How to Treat 1t. >-.. -
FARGO, N. D.-Professor Henry L. Bolley
of the botanical department Of the state agri-
cultural college has issued a bulletin giving
directions for saving fax seed to escape fax
wilt and fiax-sick soil. He says, in part:
think that many farmers are now con-
vinced that there is a definite disease Of flax
which may we'll be called rfax wilt There
are also many who are aware Of the fact
that soil may become flax-sick SO sick, IN
deed, that no more fax will grow upon IT,
Now Is the time for growers to do the. work,
for 1t becomes more and more certain that
the disease will remain in the soil for many
years when once introduced. AS yet, we have
been unable to find any economic treatment
Of flax-sick land which will again make It
introduced into new soils by way OF the
seed. To avoid doing this it will be necessary
to take about all of the following precaution-
crops: a. Study your fax as 1t is growing
in the field; e. select patch 3 which is Of Of
ses VIII tse Wit it aw disease sna ook s
throughout the area; a. II you can find "a
patch which is free from diseased plants, save
this faxSfor seed at this time, new fax land
is apt to be most free from the disease, (5)
thresh 1T when dry; store 1t dry in clean
bin. 60 grade this seed in a tanning mill
then (S), treat the seed by the formaldehyde
spray and shovel method. *:
Every one of these steps are necessary ones
Of dax-sick Soil. one must raise and select
his own seed from the field. because gen
eral crop will almost always have some dis
ease In 1t. and elevators are full of diseased
samples. Damp flax seeds collect and hold
| the spores of the disease. Unless fax is all
ripe the immature flax will make the rest
damp. AS one cannot be sure that there are
no diseased plants In the crop, 1t is necessary
that all of the bits Of straw and chaf shall
be reno we'd. for the treatment is not strong
enough to kill the parasite in such straws and
chaff. II such particles are~asowed with the
seed, the disease will be started in the soil.
1t is also very evident that no scaly, shriy-
tor it is found that the wilt fungi live inside
OF such seeds, and thus treatment Of such will
/ be Intellectual. One should treat the sound,
plump seeds in order to kill any free-lying
spores which may be amongst or upon them.
], Further Precautions.-After this care has
been taken with the seed, L recommend these
further precautions; First-sow all fax lax on n a
we'll covered. Third-sow small areas to AJAX,
and never follow fax by fax until several
lowing series Of crops until we have learned
| reasons for better one: First, fax; second,
| wheat, oats OF barley; third. corn or other ,
cultivated crop or fallow; fourth, wheat; fifth
grass: sixth. grass: seventh. pasture one or
| more years. then flax If desired.
Finally, do not allow any fax straw or
waste to get into the manure Burn IT, y
will be impossible to feed fax straw and not
have fax-sick land wherever such manure
is applieds Find some way, II possible, BY
which practically all the fax stgbble may be
before fax stubble land is plowed. =
| 1 sincerely hope that the farmers of this
state may appreciate the serious nature Of
| this }soil disease and begin at once to take all
necessary precautions to keep their farms free
| from the trouble At the experiment station
we hold ourselves ready to answer all ques-
| tions which we can answer promptly, and
ence as he may have had with the disease,
success with methods of seed treatment. and
| success OF failure with methods Of cultivatng