The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-02-28
REPORT OF THE A. c.
DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY

The various reports of the officers
of the agricultural college experiment
station for the year 1910 are now
ready to be sent to the governor. The
reports will outline results of much
agricultural Importance. The report
of the botanist and plant pathologist is
as follows:
Director ]. H. Worst-Sir: here
with transmit to you an outline
report Of the work of the de-
partment of botany Of the North Da-
kcta experiment station for the year
ending December 81, 1910. The work
of the year has been conducted upon
the same general propositions in pre-
liminaTy way as seemed necessary to
determine lines of possible future in
vestigation. The work upon the Adams
Investigations has been pushed with all
possible energy and am pleased to say
has resulted in discoveries and con-
illusions which the writer believes will
prove of inestimable value to the farm
ing public through the influence II tine
work upon future methods of CROP
ping to cereals.
l. VI a ANAiDSl Va y cal Jul "OAh A1oS
busted itself with a study of the plants
found resident In the soils of old Gull
tivated lands and in the virgin soils,
and of the micro organisms that are
found in and upon cultivated plants
upon such soils with the result that
we have come to the conclusion that
many areas of long cultivated land,
which have been supposed to be de-
pleted chemically so as to no longer
produce proper cereal crops are not
Of necessity so depleted, but that in
many cases these lands are yet very
fertile, though contaminated with GER
tain fungal organisms which are able
to attack the cultivated plants, de-
stroying their roots, injuring the straw
and shriveling the grain. Our conclu-
often do the greatest damage in years
when otherwise the climatic and soil
conditions are particularly favorable
for a large growth of grain.
The conclusions which we have
reached are particularly interesting be-
cause Of their bearing upon the gem
eral processes of agriculture, especially
upon the work of cropping to cereals.
These conclusions explain many OF the
anomalies of agriculture which were
not explainable upon any other condi-
ton, and If we are right, give great
encouragement to proper methods of
cultivating the small grain crops. The
fact that our experiments, taken as a
whole, tend to prove definitely that the
soil Is not often materially depleted,
but that the deterioration in yield and
quality of grain is more specifically to
be assigned to troubles caused by in
ternal seed infection and soil infection,
furnish a clean argument which all
farmers can easily understand for
proper seed selection, proper seed
grading proper seed treatment or dis
infection; and especially for proper
series if crop rotations, which shall
tend to allow the ground to become
free from disease contamination char
acteristic of the various crops. The
work also has a clear cut bearing upon
the methods if handling barn-yard ma
nures; for we have proved definitely
that manures which are made in sta
bles where diseased straw has been
used for bedding are very detrimental
when spread without composing upon
landswhat are to raise the same kind
Of crop as that from which the bedding
was made. For example. nnanures
made from flax straw make soils flax
sick after one application IL the ma
nures are not composted; and. like.
wise, manures made from wheat straw
when used fresh upon wheat lands are
also very destructive because they con-
vey to the Il the characteristic root
blighting organisms These facts do
not indicate that we should use less
barn yard manures, but that we should
study upon what crops to apply them
and how to better compost the ma
nures 80 as to free them from injecting
organisms.
/ will not, at this time, attempt a
detailed report Of the results Of these
studies. The department will, as soon
as it can, get together suitable ma
terials, and from time to time, publish
definite bulletins illustrating the diff