367 BULLETIN 1301, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
FLAX 
Flax is usually the first crop grown when the native sod is broken 
in this region. It is grown as a cash crop. It is well adapted to 
seeding on sod, because it can be sown late or after breaking is done 
in the spring. 3 
Flax is grown on 12 plats; 7 of these are in rotations and 5 are 
continuously cropped. During the first five years of the experiments 
a nonwilt-resistant variety of flax was sown in the rotations, and 
during the first four years in the continuously cropped plats. During 
the other years a wilt-resistant variety was used. By the end of the 
third year flax wilt began to appear on all plats, and it was largely 
responsible for the low yields of 1917 and 1918. Weeds have also 
been an important factor in the reduction of flax yields. Flax is not 
able to cope with weeds as well as other crops. The weed that has 
done most damage in the flax plats is Russianthistle (Salsola pestifer). 
This weed was not a factor in 1915 or 1916, but during the dry years 
from 1917 to 1921, inclusive, it was an important factor in the 
reduction of yields. The yields of flax for the eight years 1915-1922 
are given in Table 20. 
The yields of flax in 1915 were high. With the exception of those 
plats on which flax follows flax, the land had never grown flax before. 
The yields for the series of years indicate that the methods under 
trial have not produced paying yields of flax. All of the flax plats 
except one, which was in a 5-year rotation, were discontinued in 1921 
and 1922. In 1922 flax was placed in two rotations that contain 
sod crops which precede the flax. 
TaBLe 20.—Yields of flax at the Northern Great Plains Field Station following dif- 
ferent cultural treatments and crops for the 8-year period, 1915-1922, inclusive 
i 
'Num- Yields per acre (bushels) 
ber 
Treatment and previous crop | ae 
aver-| 1915 | 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 | 1922 | Aver 
| aged age 
IPSISKC OSs COR ne = ne eh ee 8 2 Se eee Sy 4200 26 5=0 0 5. 6 Gey 
Spring plowed: 
Oats SES pe ee Pee eee ee eee 16S oy lO 82. 32 0 0 0 0 2.0 3.9 
S DEMME wheai= enka s Sea ses 1 hakss2 od 4) Oo. 2 0 0 0 255 4.5 
Conn. See ee, Se ea 2} 190! 140 4.4 Gy Bid 8 0 4.0 ceaed 
101 6S Ga Ae Se oe ee Pe a ae Wa St 2: 5.0 0 0 9 0 O52 2.6 
Fall plowed: 
COT a ee a ne a 0 eee a PE E2sOF ot 0 28 0 | lige: 0 0 1l4 3. 6 
lasso ee i eee } Fp oss FP 0 0 0 0 Ofer es 2. 6 
SUMMIGrhUGY GG leone ee ae 1) eee 04: ike: 0 | 1.3 0 () iets ern 4.3 
SHEDSonle d= law 28 55s as ee oy eT LL | 128) 6.9 0 0 | 0 0 0 pee 3.1 
ABISt COSHH Paxson Sue, Noes ae 1 se 621s 0 OO 0 | Bag ees aks 2.8 
Averazeonall l2 plats) a panes 16. 10.45)" 2.3 3 ‘é 1 0 3. 6 41 
1 Discontinued at the end of 1921. The average is for 7 years. 
OTHER CROPS 
A number of other crops were grown in the rotations, primarily 
to study their effect upon the following crop, but their yields are not 
disregarded. 
: ALFALFA 
This crop is grown in one 6-year rotation. The alfalfa is seeded 
on fall-plowed ground following wheat. It occupies the land for two 
years in addition to the seeding year and is then broken up. The 
