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

west, are not only distributed as they
are found upon the straw but in such
increased masses because such fungi
terminate and develop numerous sec
ondary spores and spread with greater
rapidity through the soil because of the
presence Of the parts OF the particular
plant upon which they grow and be-
cause Of the manure juices. The un-
composted parts of diseased wheat and
max straw, spread upon the land, places
IN the soil all of the types of root para
sites which appear upon these crops.
THESE fresh manure materials spread
In this form are sufficient under nor
NAL conditions to blight out the fol-
lowing crop, even though the seed
treatment and crop rotation and other
general methods OF disease and weed
eradication processes are faithfully
Followed. / repeat, / am not making
an attack upon the manure spreader. II
is valuable tool. But let us use some
sense as to what this tool is cause 70
spread upon the soil and when and
where 1t is used. It is not possible
that the old English gardeners had the
right idea with regard to BARNARD
manures? They believed that com
posted barnyard manures were the
most valuable fertilizers and their
work with plants substantiated this
belief, even before we knew anything
ABOUT plant diseases. May 1t not pos
sibly be better to thoroughly compost
our manures at the risk of a slight loss
OF amonia to undo all of our efforts
in soil cultivation to eradicate weeds
as well as the good effects of our eff
forts In seed treatment and seed selec-
ton for the prevention of diseases?
Why not compost manures 10 de-
stroy weed seeds and fungus spores?
Why not handle our feeding stuffs
under such proper conditions OF con-
troll that the seeds of weeds and the
spores OF disease producing fungi may
be destroyed?
Why not refuse to buy agricultural
seeds containing masses of new sorts of
weed seeds?
Why not treat and disinfect all
seeds sown or planted?
Why not have a seed plot so az 10 be
able to pick out any weeds or disease
bearing plants, thus raising our own
clean seed end not depending upon the
purchase Of seed that is contaminated
in the elevators and warehouses and
seed cleaning machinery of wholesale
seed firms? Such firms are really not
20 be looked upon as handlers Of pure
seeds but rather as the makers or
manufacturers OF various grades or
brands OF field grains and OF forage
seeds.
!. Why not rotate to give weeds
harder rime and give diseases which,
live upon special crops and special crop
refuse of the soil chance TO die out7
Why not observe and think out the
habits Of each weed and fungous para
site with which you come in contact
and plan to side-track them by attack
ing the habit Of growth which the pest
cannot change?
Why not prevent the maturing of
weeds and plant diseases upon our
lands and upon the roadsides adjoining
and in the waste places?
Why not seed waysides and waste
places to bluegrass and white clover
with which sods few weeds can COM
pete?
Why not educate our neighbors along
similar lines and, IL be will not be ed
ucated, why not declare him 10 be 4
public nuisance" menace or what
eevr necessary to please the lawyers
and then make him think some or the
rights Of others.