The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1911-03-09
FLAX is PROFITABLE CROP
Biggest Drawback 10 Parasitic Fungus
Known AZ Flax Wiit-How to
Prevent Introduction.

Prevent Introduction.
(By PROF. o. O. CHURCHILLl
Under ordinary conditions Of culture
hax has not been proving a very
profitable geographically when seed.
ed very late. Yet when given the best
culture possible it is n Of the best
paying crops that can be grown on
the farm. The growth Of fax has
moved from the Atlantic ocean across
the United States to the west, being
grown on new breaking or compare
lively new land. It has not succeeded
on old fields. For this reason it was
thought hax wal hard on the soil and
reduced the fertility SO that profitable
crops could not be grown after fax
had been produced a few times. It is
now known that this inability to pro-
duce fax on old land IL due to q
parasitic fungus known as fax wilt.
This disease Of the fax lives in the
soil and when once introduced multi.
plies quite rapidly. It 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. II the disease Ia not already
on your farm it may to a large extent
be kept out by the following treat
ment:
l. Screen the seed very carefully.
removing all pieces Of fax straw and
blackened and injured kernels. This
work cannot be done too carefully.
2. Spray with q mixture of forma-
lin and water Of the same strength as
used for treating wheat or oats. This
spray must be applied with q machine
which throws a very fine misty spray.
A machine with q 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 q Aim enough has been
applied. The seeds should then be
shoveled into a pile and allowed to
remain a short time before planting.
It should be remembered that fax wilt
may be drifted along with the dust
from n farm to another and in this
way a field becomes infected which
has never grown the crop. It has ire
quently been the cast that grain crops
following fax have been smaller than
when following other crops, but this is
not due to the fax being hard on the
soil, but rather to the physical condi-
ffon In whfoh thu nron 1aowao $h1 In~S
When the ground is properly prepared
and fax is grown as 1t should be, as
large crops will be secured following
flax as following any other crop.
In the rotation trials at the station
it has been found that fax following
corn and wheat following the fax crop
gives the best results.
A strain Of fax which resists wilt to
a certain extent has been developed.
and no doubt a be greatly improved
in the future. This shows the POSSIBLE
ity of developing fax which will grow
on flax sick soils. Similar results have
been secured with cotton, cantaloupes,
COW peas and other crops, and these
results clearly indicate that great i'm
provement "a be made in securing a
still more resistant flax.
Flax should be grown in a rotation
and not oftener than once in six to
eight years on the same field. Great
care should be taken not to introduce
weed seeds such as Canada thistle.
mustard and other small seeds in the
flax seed.
At the present time North Dakota
produces about 60 per cent. of all the
flax grown in the United States, yet
under the present system of farming
and manner Of handling this crop it
will soon be lost to the state unless
great care is taken in controlling the
fax wilt. Its growth is rapidly de-
creasing In the eastern part of the
state and it will only be a few years
when 1t will 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 it is not grown
for fiber at the present time, this in
dustry car no doubt be developed II
proper strains were grown and fac.
tories built for handling the crop. It
is one Of the most profitable crops
grown on the farm when the best cul-
ture is given 1t. but under present
conditions it does not give the results
Of which 1t is possible. It is not pos.
sible to grow any crop in the care
less and unfavorable way in which
flax has been produced and secure
good results.