Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1906-05-03

): FLlxsEED is 4 ROTATION CROP.
j. By chas. H. Thornton, Publisher .
Duluth Commercial Record.
= = r r

iis
The growing OF faxseed a. a reg
ular rotation crop has not, az yet, OBJ
tanned a very Arm footing in the North
west, although support is gradually
coming to the belief that it should
have place in every rotation OF crops
It Is undoubtedly = fact that the
great majority Of Northwestern farm
ers have considered faxseed as pio-
neer crop and after one or two crops
have dropped it. In many cases these
crops were grown successfully on tae
same land, year after year. and frora
this occurred the failures Of 1900 and
1901.
To some extent the dismal failure OF
the 1900 crop, and large part OF the
1901 area, was not entirely \ misfor-
tune, az 1t turned the attention o.
scientists to discovering the cause OF
and a remedy for the failures.
Within the past four years more
has been learned about the Ills to
which the 1axseed plant is liable and
methods for avoiding them than dur
ing the entire previous history OF the
plant and at the present time our
knowledge is very complete.
To the experiment stations OF the
Agricultural colleges at Minneapolis
and Fargo we are indebted for 1as
srsater part Of this knowledge, and
especially to the Fargo school. where
Professor Henry L. Boliey has been
untirins in his efforts to improve the
yield aud quality Of haxssed. The re-
suits of his study are SUMMARIZED IN
the following recommendation:
use only plump. bright sslored max
for seed. Treat all seed fax every
year: the treatment WAS found by
many farmers to be a great success In
1902. Before treating clean all seed
thoroughly in a tanning mill until all
bits of straw and chat a. we'll 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 colorec
and scaly 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 tho rate o.
one pound of the standard strength te
forty gallons of water. Spread thu
seed upon a tight floor, or upon can
vas, and sprinkle or spray on small
amount Of the liquid q dne spra!
thrown by a small force pump Is best)
Shovel, hoe or rake tho grain over rap
! idly. Repeat the spraying. shovelins
hosing or rakins until the surfaces o
all the seeds are evenly moist, no
wet enough to mat or gum, but thol
oughly damp. This can be accom-
plished without mating, II we'll hoe
or shovsled over. Leave the grail
piled for several hours. The dry grain
will absorb the excess OF molstur
without injury or mating and tn
spores Of the disease will be killed b
the fumes. 1t takes about one-hal
, gallon of water solution to properl
wet one bushel Of faxseed.
After this care has been taken wit
the seed | recommend these furthe
: precautions:
Sow all fax on compact, even see
bed, as shallow as possible and "
have it we'll covered. Sow smalle
areas to fax and never follow fax b
! fax until a number Of years have II
J tervened. | recommend the followin
5 series of crops until we have learne
Y reasons for better one:
E Flax
Wheat, oats or barley.
Corn, or other cultivated crop, I
g fallow.
Wheat.
Grass.
Pasture one or more years, the
eax if desired"
About rotation Professor Bo!le
e says:
o 1T will be a great source of veal
y to Northwestern farmers if, unlike {
If others heretofore, they can so near
eradicate the diseases OF flax fro
their seed flax and from the soil tn
they may contin4e to produce got
- crops of fax. Think what boon
this region it would be If the farme
may continue to produce as hea7
crops of fax on their lands in the
ture as they do now upon new Ian
This is new doctrine, but I do n
hesitate to say that such can be Ii
-. case and eveyl much better crops tn;
are now grown. Remember that
was once @ lite generally held that