The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-03-30

rather poor wheat soils. Finally it is
not at all for the best va
riety, best selected, best treated seed
to fail to properly reproduce itself,
even under high class soil, tillage and
climatic conditions. These failures OF
the past may be explained by the fact
that the root and seed diseases of
wheat were present-introduced some
times by the seed, sometimes by the
fresh uncomposted strawy manureS,
sometimes by wind-blown or water
washed dirt, etc.
10. This disease theory rests on
facts Of nature. It helps to explain
many good results which are some
times noticed under intensive, proper,
careful farming. For example: Prop
er summer working or soil tillage
tends to firm down he soil and these
wheat fungi do not develop rapidly or
deeply in a firm compact seed bed.
Such proper soil tillage keeps the up
per layers Of the soil stirred until the
sunlight and aeration tends to purify
the soil from the germs of the wheat
diseases. The purified soil not only
becomes more. nearly free from weed
seeds, but also largely free from the
root destroying fungi. The wheat
roots can then penetrate more deeply.
Properly composted barnyard manures
tend to become free from such wheat
AVOS NISSp1SCSs g. 1upc1lJ SGISCl&uI
plump, bright. colored, heavy weight
seed grains contain less parasitic fun
81 under the bran layers than do the
low grade shrivelled or water injured
grains. The tanning mill, properly
used, tends to discard grains which
contain the wheat~sick fungi on the
interior. Proper, treatment of seed
wheat not only kills smut spores, but
kills the spores of the wheat root
diseases which are commonly abundant
on the exterior of even the highest
grade wheat. Wheat which has been
threshed before it is allowed to get
wet makes better seed wheat than that
which gets wet in the grain or sheaf
because such dry threshed, dry saved
seed does not give the wheat-root
fungi opportunity to grow under the
bran layers Of healthy seeds or grains.
II. Wheat deterioration in the fer
tile wheat growing areas Of north
west America involves soil and seed
problems directly analogous to those
in the case OF the fax crop or potato
crop. 1t is not primarily a problem of
soil fertility lost, but Of disease pres
ent.
IL. Our "wheat-sick" soils are
properly described by the word. They
have not particularly lost their ca
paclty to grow normal wheat. They
will DO it again when most Of our
farmers understand that proper wheat
farming involves a proper sanitary
handling Of the soil and seed.
ID. Fertilizers and crop rotation
will give a better account OF them
selves when the farmers sow purified
seed on purified soil. ,.G .....
| IA. The proper foundation for a
crop rotation rests in the use Of COM
p~aratively Unrelated crops in series
those which do not bear each 9TH
ers' diseases.
Is. Fresh barnyard manures con-
tanning wheat refuse, straw, etc,
should not be used for Immediate or
direct. application to the wheat crop.
1t should either be purified by COM
posting or be applied to some crop not
closely. related, to wheat. -
16. Artificial fertilizers, il applied,
should be used with the view of Civ
ing a proper balance food relation for
the even development Of a sturdy re-
sistant LEAKAGE and straw.
II. Proper methods of soil tilage
n handling Of rnanures n artificial
fertilizers r not merely measures
for supplying plant food, but also in
yolve vital features of a sanitary ma
ture.
IS. Tn cereal cropping, air, water
and soil fertility (plant foods) are
primary matters Of crop productivity.
10. The problem OF grain deteriora-
ton, as now observed by farmers,
n%lillers, chemists and agriculturists.
the writer thinks, involves the ques-
ton: What is the matter with the
crop and it's p~roduct?' rather than.
What is the matter with the soil?''
20. Deteriorated wheat, az seen in
depressed yields and low quality, as
now quite commonly produced la the
great natural heat-producing regions
Of this country, is not, primarily, a
matter OF lost fertility, or Of modified
chemical content Of the soil, but is
specifically q problem OF infectious
disease which is superimposed upon
the problems OF soil and crop manage
n1ent. Crop rotation, for example, lis
not, primarily. a farm process which
is likely to conserve the fertility of
the soil, but when properly arranged
in a system SO that the proper crops
follow one another, it lis definitely d
sanitary measure tending to maxi
mum production.
81. Wheat-root fungi and their
Ispores are drifted from field to field
and persist In the soil In exactly the
same sense a. weed seeds are dis
tributed. This accounts for much new
land infection.
%. In SO far as other cropping
plants and their diseases are men
tioned in this bulletin, they are used
only for Illustration purposes because
more commonly understood.
The Chinese government. which
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