Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1912-03-21
How Can One Get
Wilt Resistant Flax?
BY II. L. BoIley, North Dekota
Agricultural College.
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Flax is attacked by a number of
very destructive diseases. For hun
dreds of years people have considered
fax hard On land; that is, they have
thought that the fax crop extracted
certain chemical substances from the
soil which were essential not only to
its growth but to the growth of other
crops. They have been led to believe
this because, under ordinary condi-
lions, the land would only produce
from two to three crops of flax before
the yield falls to a point where it is
no longer profitable. They were cor
rect in their observation but the con
illusions drawn are incorrect.
Flax is not hard on land. 1t takes
less moisture and less of other food
materials than either corn or wheat,
but, as ordinarily grown, after a few
years of flax culture, the land, never
theless, no longer produces a pay crop.
The aso for this is not lost fertility
but an unsanitary condition of the
ground caused by the introduction of
the spores of the various diseases
which attack the roots and straws of
the crop. After extensive %investiga-
tons in breeding, selecting seed, re-
planting of flax Upon old flax sick soil
the so called "exhausted' SOLVE
have learned that fax can be obtained
which will resist these diseases and
produce a crop upon flax sick soil.
This is al important observation be-
cause there are many areas of ground
which are infected by the flax fungi
which are not reduced in fertility at
all. The seed originally planted was
badly affected SO the following crops
Of fax we're at once destroyed by the
mould fungi. placed in the soil with
the old seed, which developed further
upon straw and stubble. Our expert
ments show that any seed which rip
ems on a thoroughly sick soil, even
though it is not of good looking quail
ity, If saved and planted back on the
sick soil again, finally produces a
stronger resistant type of fax. In this
manner, planting year after year, we
have, by carefully selecting individual
plants which show particular resisting
powers, procured several strains of
flax seed which will grow on the sick
est sort of land. Each year we have
graded out the light weight, scaly,
dark colored seeds and planted the
plumpest, best seed we could procure
hoo1y ~ $o Tho c;o1> II ~ \ ,,r+S1 tLo f-o1
seed is so resistant that no plants die
while young though they may all be
more or less attacked. This is one of
the best proofs that has ever been OBJ
served to explain why home grown
seed Is better than that which is
brought in from a distance. It will be
seen that this method of plant breed
Ing is essentially arranging for a prop
er survival of the fittest on the sick
ground. This points out the way that
any farmer can improve his seed. If
you want more resistant flax seed, do
not procure seed of somebody else
every year, but raise your own seed.
Save the best and plumpest you have,
and SOY it back on your land year
after year. Never saw any dark col
ored seed and always strive to keep
such seed as you save in bright form,
tree from moisture.
I have learned that even our thor
ough1y resistant flax will no longer re-
sist the diseases in the soil if it is
allowed to lie in a bundle at harvest
time and get wet and mouldy so that
the wilt fungi grow through the seed
coats into the interior of the seeds.
In other words, even resistant flax
must be kept free from moisture and
mould growth. Disinfect all flax seed,
whether it is resistant or not, by use
of the formaldehyde method. This
will prevent you from carrying disease
to other parts Of the land which are
not already infected.
Resistant seed on the market:
There Is % some wilt resistant fax
seed to be had on the market The