The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1907-03-19

The North Dakota experiment sta
ton has received numerous questions
about immune" or wilt resistant flax
seed This Is largely due to the wide
spread damage that the fax 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
Viying 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.s This seed distri-
button feature has not been the pri-
mary object of these tests, though
later on 1t may be taken up in a 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
@zhe view of ascertaining principles and
methods which may prove practical
andl eventually be put into application
by all farmers The fiax-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 caused 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 well COM
posted before used.
Seed treatment, properly done, gives
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
ing or on virgin soil which is compar-
atively free from flax wilt fungus, cam
not produce a crop upon old fiax-sick
soils. Practically all flax seed con-
tains the disease germs and should be
treated before sowing.
Our selection studies on the college
plots and elsewhere show the flax
grown upon fiax-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 very badly dis
eased crop and cleaned in the farm
way in the tanning mill until most
lightweightseeds have been discarded,
is found to be much more resistant
than ordinary fax. If this process is
followed for three or four seasons on
fiax-s sick soil, almost entirely immune
flax 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,
provided one retains his own home
grown seed. Thus, any farmer who
has flax sick soil can gain resistant
seed just in proportion to the amount
of disease which is in his soil and IN
direct proportion to the care with
which he grades to the heavy plump
seed from his own crop. Resistant
seed can be obtained from any Of the
standard types Of fax seed. IL this
process is followed The resistance
will be lost just as soon as the farmer
fails to follow up this method.
Conditions which differ from those
in which the seed was grown, the
- I a He &c, lnNay-
ers of resistance. For example, seed
which was resistant on sick, but dry,
sandy soil, is found to be but slightly
resistant when placed upon wet,
heavy poorly drained flax sick soil.
In most cases. seed of highly re-
sistant powers will show some plants
which wilt each year. This Is espe-
cially true in the case of a heavy at
tack of rust. Weak plants, though
sick. may produce some light, scaly
seeds. Such seeds must be removed
by the tanning mill each season or the
general crop will speedily lose the re-
sistant powers obtained In the first
selection.
What 20 DO.
After selecting a variety of seed
which seems pure. grow your own
seed. 1t VIII De DetSF tOl uSC ou Juui
farm than any that can be obtained
anywhere else If, on account Of flax
sick soil, only small yield Is pro-
duced, be sure to save this seed. as the
plants which produce seed are more
or less immune to the wilt disease,
and this seed viii resist the disease
better the following year than any
seed which has not been previously
grown on sick ground.
The Esfscts Of Wettino Flax Seed.
Never aslow fax which is to be used
for seed to become wet; for the spores
Of disease germinate, and, like mold
filaments, grow into the seed coats,
and seed treatment win fail to de-
stroy this internal fungus The young
plants from such seeds must eventu-
ally sieken or die, and viii Introduce
the disease into the soil wherever they
fall,
Treatment.
After grading until only plump,