Devils Lake inter-ocean and Devils Lake free press. (Devils Lake, Ramsey County, N.D.) 1905-1909, 1906-05-11
- 49, SssSST
FllxssED As A ROTATION CROP.
BY chas. H. Thornton, Publisher
Duluth Commercial Record.
q 3. q

Il
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The growing of flaxseed as a reg
ular rotation crop has not, as vet, OBJ
tanned very firm footing in the North
west, although support is gradual!
coming to the belief that it should
have a place in every rotation of crops
It is undoubtedly a fact that the
great majority of Northwestern farm
ers have considered fiaxseed as a pio
Reer crop and after one or two crops
have dropped it. In many cases these
crops we're grown successfully on the
same land, year after year, and from
this occurred the failures of 1900 and
1901.
To some extent the dismal failure Of
the 1900 crop. and large part of the
1s01 area, was not entirely a misfor-
tune. an it turned the attention of
scientists to discovering the cause OF
and q remedy for the failures.
within the past four years more
has been learned about the ills to
which the haxseed plant is liable and
methods for avoiding them than dur.
lag the entire previous history Of the
plant and at the present time our
knowledge is very complete.
70 the experiment stations Of the
agricultural colleges at Minneapolis
and Fargo we are indebted fer the
greater part Of this knowledge, and
especially to the Fargo school. where
Prefessos Henry L. Bolley has been
antiriae In his efforts to improve the
Vieid and quality Of haKseed. The re-
suits Of his study are summarized in
the follewiag recommendations:
''Use only plump. bright oolored fax
fer seed. Treat all seed fax every
year; the treatment was found by
many farmers to be great success in
1909. Before treating clean all seed
thoroughly In a tanning mill until all
bits Of straw and ohaff as well as light
weight seeds have been removed or
blown out. The treatment recon-
mended will not kill the fungus which
Is always to be found inside diseased
straw and chat because. it cannot
penetrate to it. In diseased crop
most of the light weight, dark colored
and sealy seeds bear the fungus on the
inside of the seed coats. Such seeds
must be removed, for the treatment
cannot prevent these from injecting
the soil.
use formaldehyde at the rate of
enc pound of the standard strength to
forty gallons of water. Spread the
seed upon a tight floor, or upon can
vas. and sprinkle or spray on small
amount Of the liquid "a fine spray
thrown by small force pump is best)
Shovel, hoe or rake the grain over rap.
Idly. Repeat the spraying, shoveling,
hoeing or raking until the surfaces of
all the seeds are evenly moist, not
wet enough to mat or gum, but thor
sughly damp. This can be accom-.
plished without mating, IL well hoed
or shoveled over. Leave the grain
piled for several hours. The dry grains
will absorb the excess of moisture
without injury or mating and the
spores of the disease will be killed by
the fumes. It takes about one-half
gallon of water solution to properly
vet one bushel of faxseed.
After this care has been taken with
the seed / recommend these further
precautions: .
Sow all flax on compact, even seed
bed, as shallow as possible and vel
have it well covered. Sow smaller
areas to fax and never follow TAX By
dax until a number Of years have in
tervened. recommend the following
series Of crops until we have learned
reasons for better one:
Flax.
Wheat, oats or barley.
"Corn, or other cultivated crop, o.
Gallow. "a v
Wheat
Grass.
Pasture one or more years. ther
FAX if desired"
About rotation Professor BolleJ
says:
!" 1t will be great source of wealth
70 Northwestern farmers if, unlike all
others heretofore, they can so nearly
eradicate the diseases Of fax from
their seed FAX and from the soil thai
they may continue to produce gooe
crops Of FAX Think what a boon tt
this region 1t would be if the farmer.
may continue to produce as heavy
crops Of FAX on their lands In the flu
iture as they do now upon new land
This is q new doctrine. but / do moi
hesitate TO say that such can be the
aase and even much better crops thar