The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-01-04
The high price of fax seed and Of

The high price of fax seed and Of
Its various by-products, associated
with the effects of the great drouth
which has occurred in the flax seed
growing regions of America, tends to
make the question of cropping to flaz
one of extreme interest.
The short crop of 1910 was. in part
due to the excessive drouth and In
part to the very intense action of the
root diseases Of flax under drouth
conditions. The drouth not only cut
down the yield on new land where
clean and properly treated seed was
sown, but on those lands which were
infected by root diseases, 1t practical
ly eliminated the crop.
Many of the finest fields that were
to be seen growing during this season
also suffered severely by early frosts
In most cases, the flax was late on
these fields, not because the farmers
had sown too late. but because the
condition of the seed bed prevented
termination until rain fell.
This very drouthy year, therefore,
should not be taken as an index as to
what can be done with fax in the
future. And. now that we know most
of the causes which have brought
about the rapid deterioration of the
crop on new lands. there is no reason
why flax seed growing should not
prosper In a manner not previously
possible. 1t was long known that
fax Is subject to rust and blights. but
1t is only of late years that investiga-
ttons have been such as to demon
strate that plant diseases infesting the
soil are the chief causes of the rapid
deterioration in fax yields on new
lands.
/ IT. Is the history of the flax crop
that on new lands it at first is a
success. but that after comparatively
few crops the yield rapidly falls until
it is no longer profitable. Farmers
have usually assumed that the soil is
depleted chemically, that some neces-
sary chemical element Is removed
and many noted agriculturalists have
claimed that fax cropping is hard on
the soil, injuring it for other crops
These beliefs, l believe. have been
disproved. Flax is not particularly
hard upon the soil. but the methods
Of cropping have usually been care
less and Of such nature that the soils
speedily become infected by fax para.
sites, which destroy the plants.
These considerations make the
questions as to what to do in order
to grow fax on new lands and upon
old lands Of the greatest Importance
Essentials of Flax Cropping.
% The first essential in flax
cropping is to clearly appreciate that
the diseases which bring about de-
terioration Of the crop are transferred
from field to field primarily by the
seed, but often by the blowing of dust
from infected fax lands, by drainage
waters. by plows. harrows, threshine
equipments, infected manures, etc. 1t
is, therefore, of first importance that
careful methods Of preventing soil in
lection should be followed every year
by all growers. Unless farmers are
willing to persistently make every
effort to prevent the Introduction OF
the root killing diseases into the soil
there can be very slight hopes of re.
tanning the, fax crop as a permanent
element of agriculture in any COM
munity.
(2) The next essential rests in
proper crop rotation and proper seed
bed formation.
Preparing New Lands.
If the seed is to be placed on new