The Dickinson press., 1911-03-11
is PROFITABLE CROP
Biggest Drawback Is Parasitic Fungus
Known AS Flax WiIt-HoW to
Prevent Introduction.

Under ordinary conditions Of culture
fax has not been proving a very
profitable crop-especially when seed
ed very late. Yet when given the best
culture possible it is one Of the best
paying crops that can be grown on
the farm. The growth of flax has
moved from the Atlantic ocean across
the United States to the west, being
grown on new breaking or compare
lively new land. 1t has not succeeded
on old fields. For this reason 1t was
thought fax was hard on the soil and
reduced the fertility SO that profitable
crops could not be grown after flax
had been produced a few times. 1t Is
now known that this inability to pro-
duce fax on old land Is due to a
parasitic fungus known az flax wilt.
This disease of the flax lives in the
soil and when once introduced multi.
plies quite rapidly. 1t not only grows
on fax stubble, but on any decaying
vegetable matter in the soil with
which the small seeds or spores come
In contact: The thing of Importance
then is to prevent the introduction of
this disease in soil not already In
fected. If the disease is not already,
on your farm it may to a large eStent'
be kept out by the following treat:
ment:
1. Screen the seed very carefully,
removing all pieces of flax straw and
| blackened and injured kernels. This
work cannot be done tQQ carefully.
z. Spray with a mixture 81 lorna
lin and water of the same strength as
used for treating wheat or oats. This
spray must be applied with a machine
which throws a very fine misty spray.
A machine with a compressed air tank
is best. AS the spray is applied the
seeds should be raked over, and as
soon as the surface Of the grains are
covered with a film enough has been
applied. The seeds should then be
shoveled into a pile and allowed to
remain a short time before planting:
1t should be remembered that FAX wilt
may be drifted along with the dust
fZep ens isr@ to another and in tfts
has never grown the crop. 1t has fire.
auently been the case that grain crops
ALLOWING max have been smaller thar
when following other crops, but thiQ b
not due to the flax being hard on 10
soil, but rather to the physical eondi.
toni In which the crop leaves the land.
Whom the ground is propefly prepared
and max is grown as 1t should be. ~
large crops will be secured following
flax o. following any other crop.
In the rotation trials at the station
It has been found that max following
ao1p and wheat following the flax crop
(tfss the best results. i.
A strain Of max which resists wilt to
q certain extent has been developed,
and no doubt can be greatly improved
ip the future. This shows the POSSIBLE
ity Of developing fax which will grow
81 afax- siok coils. Similar results have
Pq{6 secured with cotton. oantaloqpes.
COW peas and other crops, and these
results clearly indicate that great i'm
pEQvement can be made in securing a
STU more RESISTANT fax.
R9ax should be grown In a rotation
ap4 not oftener than once in six to
eight years on the same field. Great
dare should be taken not to introduce
weed seeds such as Canada thistle.
mustard and other small seeds in the
max seed.
At the present time North Dakota
produces about so psr cent. of all the
fax grown In the United States, yet
under the present system of farming
and manner of handling this crop 1t
will soon be lost to the state unless
great care Is taken in controlling the
flax wilt. It's growth is rapidly de-
oreasing In the eastern part Of the
state andtH will only be a few years
when 1t viii not be found to any ex-
tent In the Red River Valley. The
soil and climate Of North Dakota is
eminently adapted to the production
Of. fax. It Is the great cold climate
fiber plant, and while II Ii not grown
for hber.s at the present time, this In.
dustry can no doubt be developed II
proper strains were grown and fac.