The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-03-20
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 1907.
Resistant Seed Flax
and How to Get It
Prof Boey Of the A. O. Tells of Experiments and the
Results Of His Tess-so Pointers on
the Matter

Prof. H. l.. Bolley, botanlst at the
A. G. experiment station, has issued a
bulletin on resistant seed flax, as fol-
lows:
The North Dakota experiment sta
tiOn has received numerous questions
about immune" or wilt resistant flax
seed. This is largely due to the wide
spread damage that the flax wilt fun
gus Is causing on numerous farms
where little care has been taken with
regard to seed selection and seed
treatment, and also to the fact that
numerous people have observed the
selection and breeding experiments
which have been conducted upon the
fiax-sick test plots of the experiment
station. Many have seen these plots
of selected plants, some strains sur
viving in spite of the disease, and
others completely dying out, and thus
have been led to believe that the ex-
pertinent station would soon be able
to increase the seed of some of the
best types for general distribution
among the farmers. This seed distri-
button feature has not been the pri-
mary object of thesse tests, though
later on it may be taken up in small
way. The aim has been to study the
action of the wilt disease upon differ
ent types and varieties of flax under
different conditions of culture with
the view of ascertaining principles and
methods which may prove practical
and eventually be put into application
by all farmers. The fax-sick soil
available at the station does not allow
us to carry on these Investigations and
general seed growing at the same time.
We are, therefore, unable to furnish
seed in quantity as asked by many of
our correspondents. The following
facts have been determined:
Flax wilt is cause by fungus
which lives year after year in the soil.
Land once infested by this fungus re-
mains infested for many years. The
fungus is introduced to new lands
chiefly by means of scaly, chaffy, dis
eased seeds. The disease may be car
ried to new land by dust, blown or
washed from other diseased fields,
dragged in by farm implements, or in
troduced by manure made from dis
eased fax straw. For this reason, all
flax straw manure should be we'll COM
posted before used.
Seed treatment, properly done, gives
a greatly increased crop, whether the
flax wilt fungus is present on the seed
or not.
Flax seed which has for number
Of years been grown upon new break
in or on virgin soil which is compar-
atively free from flax wilt fungus, can
not produce crop upon old flax-sick
soils. Practically all fax seed con-
tains the disease germs and should be
treated before sowing.
Our selection studies on the college
plots and elsewhere show the fax
grown upon flaX-sick soil tends to be-
come more resistant each year, pro-
vided one saves the seed which each
year natures from this crop. Flax
seed, so taken from a vary badly dis
eased crop and cleaned in the farm
way in the tanning mill until most
light weight seeds have been discarded
Is found to be much more resistant
than ordinary fax. If this process is
followed for three or four seasons on
flax-sick soil, almost entirely immune
fax seed results. AS nearly all the
land on some farms is already in
tested, this method of work does not
prevent proper rotation being followed,