The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-08-10
SOIL TROUBLES;
WHEAT CULTURE
PROF. y. [. soLLEY SAYS He ID
EN0EAvoRIN0 TO HELP FARM
ERs TO RAISE LARGER CROPS
NEEDLESS FEARS EXPRESSED
BY MANY.

i NsNA AAVAR CIUp 10 crop elmer IN the
fseed or In the soil. certain people, not
particularly well informed regarding
farming methods, have exhibited con-
siderable needless apprehension re-
garding the matter says Prof Eli. 4.
Bolley In a bulletin made public today.
Some, I fear only pretend great APP
prehension
Now let me say that / do not write
about plant diseases for the purpose
Of frightening anyone, but am doing
so TO call farmers attention to con-
ditions relative to proper cropping, SO
that they may raise as large crops each
year as possible. This will tend to
make the farmers prosperous and those
who deal in land and In the crops
which the farmers grow, ought to be
thoughtful enough about their own
welfare not to object when 1t is nec-
essary to point out the difficulties
which stand in the way OF good agri-
culture.
I'm calling farmers attention to the
fact that the methods which are, at
the present time, most commonly fol-
lowed In cropping to wheat in the
northwest, are bringing about condi-
ton of soil sickness which is quite
analogous to the fax-sick condition OF
soil, am stating a plain truth. but
there is nothing about this fact to
cause anyone to worry about Mime
sofa or Dakota soils These facts of
disease have not been stated before,
because no one had previously made
proper studies upon wheat seeds,
wheat roots and wheat soils to allow
one to do so.
"This teaching which calls for o.
proper care of the wheat soils with
reference to their sanitary conditions
for the growth of wheat, 1t Is true, is
new, but the diseases of wheat roots
are old. Agriculturists have always
known that proper serted crop rota-
lions helped to raise a good wheat
crop, but they could not account for
the rapid deterioration Of the wheat
yields upon new lands and upon lands
yet known to be fertile. 1t was US
ually said that rather constant crop
ping to one crop tends to reduce the
fertility of the soil below a point at
which pay crop could be produced
However, often, the best sort OF rota-
tions have failed miserably to give
the results naturally to be expected
This flnding regarding internally in
fected seed and disease infected soils
Is perhaps the chief explanation Of
such reduced yields on lands of known
fertility and proper culture.
in other words, now that we know
about these rather persistent wheat
and soil troubles, our farmers can take
rational steps to counteract their eff
fects, indeed, In large part, to do away
with them. This is a real doctrine of |
hope, hope that we can soon arrange
such proper and successful crop rota-
TONS seed selections and seed treat |
ments and so handle the farm manures
that uniformly, much better results !
shall come from farm efforts; hope
that by proper deep blowing, and the |
other necessary methods of culture, |
the older wheat areas may again be |
brought back to proper yields of nor
mally plump grain at a reasonable |
cost of effort.
when the symptoms and nature of
these wheat-root diseases are as we'll
and generally understood by the farm
ing public as Is now the case with
potato scab and wheat smut, farmers
will see and understand quite clearly
the chief reasons for careful seed
grading, seed treatment and crop ro-
tation. 1t is not that the fertility OF
the soil Is so much injured by the use
of the single crop method, as that it's
mechanical texture is spoiled, and that
1t has become filed with the sort of
disease germs which are characteristic |
of that particular crop.
There is nothing about the nature
OF the root diseases of wheat which |
may not rather easily be overcome by
proper methods of agriculture when
we can succeed in getting farmers
generally to pIow properly, harrow and
pack properly, and to properly use
farm manures; to grow and save their |
own seed, to grade and disinfect It;
and to carry out proper crop rota-
tions.
AS in the past, some such diseases
will appear In every crop just as some
smut now escape, but their occurrence
in generally destructive form should |
from now on be wholly unnecessary.
What to DO.
Il. Grow your own seed. 2. Grade |
1t each year to proper size, weight and I
color and treat it thoroughly before
planting. 3. Rotate your crops using
Tour or five other sorts Of crops on /
your fields between wheat crops Pas
ture land, corn and fax usually give
the best results In the northwest. 4.
In making use of barnyard manures
which are made from wheat, barley
or oats straw, they should either be
thoroughly composted or. IL hauled
fresh from the stables, tAe manure
should be applied to grass, corn or POI
tato lands at least two years before
wheat Is to be sown there. Al good
start for a rotation to be applied to
old wheat lands would be:
=. Grass. with manure spread on
the grass.
~. Hay.
%. Pasture.
~ Car.