The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1911-04-20
FLAX is PROFITABLE cRoF
Ai0ssst Drawback Is Parasite Fungus
Known AZ Flax WiIt--iiow to
Prevent Introduction.
(By PROF. O. o. CIIURCHILL.)
1YuHop nrd IN a ru ann ditNo~o <,P o,,1<,ss>~

max has not been proving a very
profitable crop-especially when seed
ed very late. Yet when given the best
culture possible 1t II one Of the best
paying crops that can be grown on
the farm. The growth Of max has
moved from the Atlantic ocean across
the United States to the west, being
grown on new breaking or compare
lively new land 1t has not succeeded
on old fields. For this reason 1t was
thought fax was hard on the soil and
crops could not be grown after fax
had been produced few times. 1t is
now known that this inability to pro
duce fax on old land is due to a
parasitic fungus known as fax wilt.
This disease of the fax lives in the
soil and when once introduced multi
plies quite rapidly. 1t not only grows
on nax 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 IL to prevent the Introduction of
this disease in soil not already in
fected. II the disease Is not already
on your farm it may to large extent
be kept out by the following treat
ment: Ea
1. Screen the seed very carefully,
removing all pieces of fax straw and
blackened and injured kernels. This
work cannot be done too carefully.
nd
lin and water Of the same strength as
used for treating wheat or oats. This
spray must be applied with a machine
which throws very fine misty spray.
A machine with compressed air tank
Is best. As the spray is applied the
seeds should be raked over. and az
soon as the surface Of the grains are
covered with film enough has been
applied. The seeds should then be
shoveled into pile and allowed to
remain short time before planting.
1t should be remembered that fax wilt
may be drifted along with the dust
from one farm to another and in this
way a field becomes infected which
has never grown the crop. 1t has fire.
quently been the case that grain crops
following flax 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-
ton in which the crop leaves the land.
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
1t has been found that flax following
corn and wheat following the fax crop
gives the best results.
A strain of fax which resists wilt to
q certain extent has been developed,
and no doubt can be greatly improved
In the future. This shows the POSSIBLE
ity Of developing fax which will grow
on fax 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 can be made in securing a
still more resistant fax.
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
max seed.
At the present time North Dakota
produces about 80 per cent. Of all the
fax 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
fax wilt Its growth is rapidly de-
creasing in the eastern part Of the
state and 1t will only be few years
when It 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. 1t Is the great cold climate
fiber plant, and while 1t Is not grown
for fiber at the present time, this in
dustry can no doubt be developed If
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 1t 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
fax has been produced and secure
good results.