Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-05-15

By H. l.. Bolley-
1t is becoming apparent tna1 tnere
is to be considerable difficulty in keep
ing up the worlds supply Of llnseec
products unless new methods are
practiced in the care and cultivation
of the flax crop. 1t has APPARENT!
been the custom of farmers to rely
upon new lands for the production OF
flax. However, within late years, the
demand has become so enormous 1ol
linseed that the seed which comes
from new land areas is insufficient
The building of enormous buildings
the extensive construction OF modern
homes, of machinery, ETC., call for sup
plies which have slight parallel IN
previous years of construction. 1t Is
not probable that there will ever be
found a reasonably good substitute fol
5linseed oil; and the by-products of the
crop are recognized as OF even greater
value than the oil. In all countries
EXCEPT only the United States, lin
seed cake is considered as having the
highest merit fer stock feed and, az
land becomes high priced, there can
be slight doubt but this valuable
product will be largely used in this
country.
1t is evident from these 'considera'
lions that there will be annually a
call for very much larger supply OF
flax seed than the world has ever
previously produced.
Diseases Of the Crop.
Studies conducted at the North Da-
kota Experiment Staten have clear
1y demonstrated that the reason why
the crop has always of necessity been
grown upon new lands now rests not
in any peculiar use of soil fertility by
the flax crop, but is due 10 parasitic
diseases which are conveyed to the
soil by spores carried on the seed.
The diseases are further distributed
by various types of farming nipple.
ments and are wind and water borne
from old areas. Thus, as the crop
tends to become more general larger
and larger areas of ground become
infected until a region which one pro-
duced a crop can no longer PR duoe
it remuneratively. Thes features
have led the farming public to be-
lieve that the crop is hard on land,
and, when the farmers have once
ceased to grow it in particular state
or country, they have not taRen up
with it again. Thus the present seed
supply is coming almost wholly from
the small amount of seed which is
furnished by the fibre crop plus that
which is grown upon new lands.
The Crop Must Be Grown On Old
Lands A. Wen As REV.
1t is evidert that the time must
soon come when the supply of linseed
will be much less than it is, unless
farmers can learn to grow the CROP on
old lands. The writer, through his
experiments and observations, is Con-
WINGED that old farming lands will
produce as good crop of seed flax
as can be grown upon the virgin soils
but that the methods of working ana
caring for the ground must be dit.
ferent than the careless methods used
on new lands. It is these same care
less methods Of handling the seed and
of caring for the crop, that have so
speedily reduced the value of new
lands for the production Of the crop.
Improve the variety and quality of
seed: The fact is that no proper at
tention has been paid to seed selec-
ton, seed grading and seed breeding.
ANY flax seed does for sowing" has
been the rule, with the result that
all of the various weeds and diseases
which accompany the flax crop are
Immediately placed into the new lands
If the flax crop is to become profit.
able, all this must change for modern
methods of cropping. The essentials
of such methods may be stated as fol-
lows:
1. Proper preparation of a firm
seed bed.