The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-04-19

very wonderful results which have
been accomplished in plant breeding
during comparatively recent years in ]
almost all lines of work, as affecting |
the breeding of domestic animals,
fruits. vegetables n forage crops, |
including the cereals, it would be
strange indeed If the fax plant did
not lend itself to improvement through
like methods of procedure. There are
many reasons why it Is a particularly
desirable crop for the plant breeder
to spend his energies upon, and for
the farmer I'd make a. speciality Of
in farm breeding methods. A number
Of the peculiarities of the crop which
commend it so much careful work
may be listed about as follows:
/. Aside from its peculiar disease
relations 1t is a sturdy type Of plant.
2. 1t Is particularly unlike almost
any other type of farm plant and for
this reason there is little possipill,
of the entrance of error by farm
workers and others indirectly inter-
ested in the work of breeding opera
tons.
3. 1t is a plant which, because Of
certain difficulties associated with the
crop gives failure under ordinary farm
management methods, thus making it
quite certain that its products will
demand a fair price. These considera-
tions grow more and more certain
each year as it passes out of the CROP
ping experiments Of one community
after another. The crop, from the
seed point at least, in this northwest
country, can be made one Of the most
remunerative ear by year of any one
of the general farm crops. By the
reverse assertion it may also be said
that under careless methods of hand
ling there is no crop so liable to re-
suit in failure as this one. There
fore, any person who develops a good
yielding type Of flax for any of it's
products is likely to have the salts
faction of knowing that he has spent
his labors upon a crop in a manner
which will be appreciated by the
farming public in the future. For the
benefits of the rover himself, it may
be said that so far as my experiments
go, | think no crop shows returns from
careful handling regarding it's purity
and quality Of seed, more pronounced
~ than does this crop.
4. 1t has well marked flowers and
very considerable range of type as
shown in the form and CoIoration Of
its flowers, in the form and type of its
stems, leaves, branching and other
botanical features. One has only to
study a number of individual plants
in an ordinary field crop to realize
that there is a great opportunity here
for selection, If the selection principles
will work upon the crop.
5. In regard to the last feature men
toned it may be said that unlike al
most all other crops in the minds of
the agriculturalist flax yet remains
.Ist fax. With the exception OF the
work done at the Minnesota Expert
ment Station and the North Dakota
Experiment Station within the last
decade it may be said that the flax
seed crop has never in history been
subjected to any consistent, persistent
system of improvement. Any seed
which would grow has been considered
satisfactory for sowing purposes. I'm
fortunately, the same consideration
yet governs most farmers, and espeCi-
ally the real estate men who are ploW-
ing up u western prairies by the
use of traction outfits and are only
limited in the number of acres which
they seed by the number of acres
which they have. Most of these men
know nothing about seed quality
only know that fax on new land pays
for a year or two. They do not care
much what happens to the land be
cause they intend to sell it to the
other fellow. They do not particular
ly care II only two or three crops can
be taken off, provided these crops can
be taken off and yet leave a good
margin of profit. OF course this may
as well be said Of wheat as for flax.
They are much in the position of q
noted president Of one of the old line
elevator companies, who dismissed
the subject of the possible improve
ment of the crop by saying, IF the
farmer does not grow fax he will
grow oats, wheat or some other more
bulky crop to fill our elevators"
If a type of seed producing flax,
which, because Of it's special ability to
yield in spite of ordinary hard condi-
lions of agriculture, can be produced.
and a system can be developed to
keep track of it until it is ~undoubted-
~ in the hands of most. I
think most people would agree that
some millions of dollars would be an
nually AIDED to the valuation of the
taxable property of your northwestern
states. Just at this point let me say
that the troubles and labors of a
breeder of such a strain of fax does
not cease when he has developed such
a strain of seed or proved that it can
be grown, for under the present sys-
tenn of handling agricultural seeds ev-
cry fellow who has seeds to sell i'm
mediately starts to sell that kind of
seed, whether he has knowledge that
he does have 1t in his possession or
not. This statement of course applies
about as well to one scotsman as an
other, n to one farmer as another,
for the present system is to take such
evidence of possession from the hear
say standpoint. John Jones says he
bought the particular seed from Mr..
Smith and he sells it to Mr.. Miller as
being the real thing. OF course, they
do not know whether John Jones ever
had the variety under consideration
or not, and the sales go merrily on by
the carload lots, so that he work of
such field crop breeding done by ex-
pertinent stations at the present time
is usually lost as SOC as the individu-
! al farmer who first receives it has de-
veloped sufficient of it that he must
sell 1t. The mixing and spelling pro-
cesses commence thereafter.
6. On account of the facts Just
stated the crop markedly lends itself
to the simple processes of crop i'm
provement by plain selection and
grading of the seed by means of the
tanning mill, or ordinary seed grading
Such methods do not insure purity as
to type, but in a great mixture of seed
such as to be found in an ordinary
elevator, such grading al work great
improvement, sufficient to account for
a very large Improvement in the yield.
z. Because of the distinctiveness of
the characters shown in the plants.
the distinctness Of the flowers, leaves
and stems as to ~morphological form,
the plant lends itself particularly TO
cross breeding, and this all the more
readily because 1t is sufficiently defin-
ttely self-fertilized to allow any cross
breeding worker to feel sure that hav-
ing once purified his strain to a pure
type of bio-type he may commence