The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-04-28
HOW TO RAISE MORE
AND BETTER FLAX SEED
Prof. Il. 1. BOIey Has Thorough Discussion Of This Topic
Which Is Of Vital Interest to the Farming Business
Of All North Dakota

Ing up the worlds supply Of 1inseed
products unless new methods are prac-
ticed in the care and cultivation of
the flax CROP" said Prof. II. L. Bolley
today. 1T has apparently been the
custom of farmers to rely upon new
lands for the production OF fax. How
ever, within late years the demand
Tor linseed has become so enormous
that the seed which comes from new
land areas Is insufficient. The buildS
ing OF enormous buildings, the extern
sive construction of modern homes, of
machinery, ETC., call for supplies which
have slight parallel i'm previous years
Of construction. 1t is not probable that
there will ever be found a reasonably
good substitute for linseed oil: and the
by-products OF the crops are; recog-
uized as Of even greater value than the
oil. In ali countries, except only the
United States, linseed cake is consid-
cred as having the highest merit for
stock feed and as 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 consider
atoms that there will be annually call
for very much larger supply of fax
seed than the world has ever previous
| " produced.
Diseases OF the Crop.
/ Studies conducted at the North Da-
kota Experiment Station have clearly
demonstrated that the reason why the
crop has always of necessity been
grown upon new lands rests not in
any particular use Of soil fertility by
the fax crop, but is due to parasitic
! diseases which are conveyed to the soil
by spores carried on the seed. The
diseases are further distributed by var
ious types of farming implements and
are wind and water borne from old
areas. Thus, as the crop tends to be-
come more general larger and larger
areas Of ground become infected until
a region which once produced the crop
can no longer produce 1t remunera-
lively. These features have led the
farming public to believe that the crop
Is hard on land, and, when the farm
ers have once ceased to grow 1t In a
particular state or country, they have
not taken up with 1t 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.
Must Be Grown on old Lands.
1T is evident 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 ex-
periments and observations. is con-
WINGED that old farming lands viii pro-
duce as good crop of seed fax as can
be grown upon the virgin soils, but
that the methods Of working and car
ing for the ground must be different
than the careless methods used on new
lands. II is these same careless meth
DDS OF handling the seed and caring for
the crop that have so speedily reduced
the value of new lands for the produc-
ton of the crop.
Improve the Seed.
"The fact is that no proper atten-
ton has been paid to seed selection,
seed grading and seed breeding. Amy
flax seed does for sowing has been
the rule, with the result that all OF the
various weeds and diseases which ac-
company the flax crop are Immediately
placed into the new lands. If the flax
crop is to become profitable, all this
must change for modern methods Of
cropping.
"The essentials OF such methods may
be stated as follows:
Proper preparation OF a firm seed
bed.
"2-selection Of good strain or va
riety Of seed.
"3-Selection Of seed of full strength,
free from internal diseases.
"4-Grading the seed which has been
selected until only approximately per-
feet seeds remain, blowing or screen
ing out all bits Of straw. chaff and dust
possible.
Seed fection-treatmen of
the seed by formaldehyde solution in
such manner as to destroy all germs
of fax diseases that may rest on or be
sticking to the individual seeds.
''6-Sowing the seed at essentially
the proper date.
"7-Drilling the seed at the proper
depth.
"S-Pulling or in other manner de-
stroying scattering weeds In the crop,
the seeds of which are difficult to re-
move from flax seed after 1t is tbresh-
ed, as for example, mustard, false fax,
French weed.
"9-Harvesting the crop at the right
date so that the seeds shall be ma
ture and plump, but not lost through
Smelling or injured by weather.
''1O--Cut it with binder wherever
possible.
~11-Thresh it at the first opportun-
ity after the boles become dry.
"12-Previous to harvesting, select
the portion of the field which is most
evenly ripe, harvest and thresh and
save ii for your own seed and for seed
for selling to others.
"13-Store the seed so that 1t shall
remain dry and cool
"14-Conduct a decent. long series
rotation on your farm DO not think
OF sowing flax more than once in five
to seven years on the same land.
"15--At least one well cultivated crop
and one crop of hay and pasture should
intervene between fax crops.
"16-In using barnyard manures
never use any uncomposted manure
which has been made out of flax straw
or by animals which have been fed
fax screenings.
"17-AlI growers should observe
these rules for an infectious disease Is
community AFFAIR.
Use the Tanning Mill.
sTn order to arrive at the above es
sentiaIs the first great step is to pro-
cure good. bright, plump flax seed and