The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-01-01
PLANT DISEASES AND CROP ROTATION

the theory that land grows tree of flax
as max. The reason that we must have
q persistent crop rotation with fax is
evident and 1t is evident that unless
the rotation Is carried out with a de-
termined persistence not only by one
FARMER but by his neighbors the fullest
results will not be obtained. While
THESE two discoveries with regard TO
max and potatoes were bling made at
this station other plant patologists in
other stations have unearthed similar
troubles in other crops, as for example,
root-rot In cotton, root-rot and blight
in alfalfa, cabbage root-rot. ETC., and
fruit growers long ago learned that
IL did not pay to plant a young apple
tree or peach tree in the ground In
which an old tree had died.
Rotation and Blight.
AS indicated in some of the later
publications of the department Of bot
any, notably Press Bulletin 33. and
regular station bulletin 81. the writer
has, after a number of years of per-
~sistent experiment, come to the con-
clusion that old wheat lands Of the
Red River valley and similar wheat
areas in other regions are no more ex-
hausted for the growth of wheat than
similar lands were exhausted for tho
growth Of fax or for the growth of
potatoes. I know we'll that there are
lands in existence which never did
raise wheat and never can raise wheat
under their present conditions until
more fertility is added to them. but
this is not true Of the new lands Of
the northwest at the present time.
Nor is it true Of most of the natural
wheat growing regions. It is evident
that such lands, in many cases, may
be said to be wheat-sick in essentially
the same sense as the so called fax
exhausted lands were said to be flax
sick or as the old scat producing gar
den plot was thought to be potato
tired. Such lands are not worn out
chemically but are infected with the
various diseases which wheat is heir
to-.
These lands must be disinfected not
l locally but generally throughout
the entire area of the wheat growing
regions before we can again hope to
produce the old time yields of heavy,
plump wheat. Our experiments are
conclusive and cover a wide range Of
plans, attacking the propositions from
@ANNJ 5ANSOs ~ . SIiOWu LLldI SuCh dis
eases are not only common but almost
general. 1t is found hat most of such
diseases are transmitted not ONLY ex-
ternally on the seed but quite COM
monty internally with the seed. The
spores of the diseases are not onIv
busted upon the outside but the fila
ments of the fungi which grew in the
mother plant have extended them
| selves inward into tho eool- 49,.
producing, in many cases, conditions
quite easily recognizable. So common
are these diseases that it is difficult
for an expert to find seeds which will
grow a pure culture of wheat and
wheat alone. Nearly always one or
more Of these diseases will start at the
same time the seed does even though
the seed is properly disinfected on the
exterior with formaldehyde. These ex-
periments, for example, prove why It.
is that formaldehyde treatment always
pays for h doing even though there
is no smut on the seed, simply because
there are other kinds of parasites than
smut on the seed and the formaldehvde
treatment tends to reduce them. Our
experiments show that such wheat
sick soil can be sterilized in a num-
Der OF different ways and so benefited
that If we can place normal, healthy
seeds on it these normal, healthy seeds
Will make a healthy growth. We have
now reached a point when we can
either make soils wheat-sick or free
them from diseases as we see fit. It is
easy to make a soil wheat-sick but
very difficult to free it from diseases:
at least, so difficult that the processes
now used could hardly be used in a
profitable over large areas.
We have proved, however, the fact in
the case and 1t should give us a real
new hope for wheat culture These
are facts which should give everyone
great encouragement, for they tell ls
that h land is not necessarily de-
ficient in fertility, but that, as in the
case of the potato troubles and the
flax troubles, the land has only become
infected.
These experiments essentially af-
firm that crop rotation, seed selection
and seed disinfection is the royal road
to the elimination of wheat troubles
just as exactly as it has been found
to be the o to the elimination Of the
potation troubles, the cabbage diseases
and the flax-tired condition.
II farmers once generally grasp the
idea that shrivelled seed in a crop is
largely due to the presence Of diseases
In the mother plants which are trans
mitted in the seed they will understand
that it is no longer wise to plant any
types Of ~shrivelled, discolored, distort-
ed seed grains. They will grade and
remove everything but the plumpest,
brightest colored seeds. This theory
explains clearly why heavy weight
seeds have most commonly been found
to be preferable to light weight seeds.
AS soon as farmers realize that these
root diseases of wheat are quite GEN
orally distributed throughout the coun-
try n may be expected to attack
their crop more or less because of Wind
blown. spores from other areas, and
as o as they understand that GER
tain varieties are much more resistent
to such diseases than others they will
select a standard type of wheat for
sowing purposes and keep to it, all
ways selecting n grading 1t until
only the best, most perfectly formed
seeds are available, for these are the
seeds which presumably grew upon
mother plants which for some reason
or other. We're able to escape the action
of the diseases. They were perhaps
more resistent.
Home Grown Seed Best.
This theory of disease accounts quite
definitely for the common experience
that a new variety of wheat may be
brought in from a distant region and
for a veal or two give an increased
yield but afer the first or second year
fails worse, than the wheat which