The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-01-21

laboratory at the agricultural college,
where all citizens of the state purchas-
ing seed, whether seed merchants or
farmers, can ascertain the character of
the seeds purchased, both as to purity
and as to viability. 1t is then an al
tempt to help them to do the things
that they have been careless of in the
past.
AT this point it might be well to adj
wise all farmers whenever possible to
procure locally grown seed, thus avoid
ing the Introduction of foul seeds for
eign to our soils. The great wholesale
seed merchants in the large cities han
die seeds in large volume and, as a
consequence, 1t is impossible for them
to return thoroughly clean seed to che
growers on the farms. Seed which
has gone in bulk away from the farm
and associated with other seeds i'm ele-
vators, railway trains and in incom-
petent seed cleaning establishments
can with no certainty come back in
a pure state to the farms. Local deal
ers will also do well to recognize this
point. In purchasing seed from farm
ers with a view of selling again to
farmers they should procure locally
grown stuff and avoid separate lots as
much as possible. believe North Da-
kota farmers will do well in the near
future when they must buy seeds for
eign to the state to procure them
through thei focal seed houses, whose
managers must submit their materials
TO inspection under the North Dakota
seed law, the only effective one in the
northwest. If they purchase seed out
side of the state they should stipulate
that IL comply with the requirements of
the North Dakota law; and that the
seed testing laboratory Established at
the college may serve all 70 the best
advantage, both the farmers and the
seed dealers of this state should freely
submit their samples for inspection,
which is done without charge. This
should aid them TO select the best for
purchase.
The board of township supervisors
and thee ity councils should look up
their duties under senate bill 1913, which
requires them to APPOINT a commissions
er whose duty 1t is to keep the Canada
thistle, SOW thistle, quack- grass, etc,
in his district under control The law
is mandatory and If these men and
the citizens of the state do their duty
1T will not only be found TO be an un-
burdensome law but a most beneficial
one. Laws on any subject are des-
tructive both to moral and civic virtue,
unless made Internationally effective up.
on those who in their efforts to amass
riches, carelessly or persistentIy ignore
the rights Of others. Neither weeds
nor plant diseases can be wholly con-
trolled by individual farmers working
alone AS in the case of public SANTA
tion in cities and country farm or crop
sanitation involves CO. operative effort
and civic responsibility on the part of
the citizens. This will readily be un-
derstood when one remembers that
weed seeds and diseased seeds or scions
are often a matter Of commerce. Per-
sons dealing in seeds and nursery
stocks can readily become the very
greatest benefactors to agriculture and
to the public. or they can equally as
easily become a source of injury and
discredit
General Sources Of Soil Contamination.
1t is furthermore to be remembered
that that the spores OF disease and the
seeds of weeds are wind blown, water
carried. distributed by animals, rail-
roads, farm machinery. through feed
ing stuffs, foods and forage. etc. The
work OF a farm sanitation thus cannot
be carried on as one would fight wild
animal in cage but, intelIigently deal,
ing with many adverse conditions.
How to Introduce Crop Sanitation.
Sanitary methods dealing with farm
crops cannot be economically introduce
ed without knowledge of the life habits
and the needs Of the various pests un-
der consideration. Each particular
fungus and each particular weed must
be dealt with according to its own cap
liabilities and habits Thus, IL one
would undertake to control particular
weed In q particular crop. then he must
know the weed and its habits and
needs. Weeds and crop plants com
pete for health and strength OF growth
on the some soil and one must fail to