30 
Colorado Experiment Station 
are chiefly affected. Flax wilt may live over in the soil from year 
to year. Plants of all ages may be attacked. They wilt and die as 
from lack of water. The disease may spread very rapidly. 
Control .— (i) Flax is being grown for the first time in many 
sections of the state. Since the spores of the fungus causing wilt 
may be carried by the seed, it is particularly important that clean 
seed be used, to prevent the introeluction of the disease to the soil. 
Disinfect seed with formalin. This treatment is as follows: 
(a) Make solution of formalin at the rate of i pound to 40 
gallons of water. 
(b) Spread seed upon a clean canvas or good tight floor. 
(c) Sprinkle a small quantity of solution upon the seed. At 
the same time, rake the seed about. Take pains that all 
seeds are moistened, but do not use so much of solution 
as to cause the seeds to stick together. There is danger 
from using too much moisture. Use about % gallon 
of solution to each bushel of seed. 
(d) Allow the seed to stand for several hours, covered by a 
canvas, then rake and stir until thoroughly dry. 
(2) Fanning seed before treatment will remove many light 
weight infected seed. 
(3) Store flax seed in dry place. The fungus grows on moist 
seed. 
(4) The wilt fungus is held over in old flax straw and stubble. 
Hence remove and bum infected flax straw and refuse. 
(5) Do not use manure made from infected flax straw. Well 
composted manure will contain no spores capable of germination. 
(6) If wilt becomes bad, plant infected land to some other crop. 
(7) Use disease-resistant varieties. 
GOOSEBERRY. 
Mildew. —English varieties of gooseberries suffer more from 
the attacks of this fungus than American sorts. The frost-like 
coating of the parasite appears on stems, leaves, and fruit. The 
whitish, cobwebby growth becomes darker in color later in the sea¬ 
son, and careful examination with a hand lens will show the presence 
of numerous black specks over the entire diseased surface. The 
black bodies carry the spores. 
Control .— (i) Spray with potassium sulphide, i oz. in 2 gal¬ 
lons of water. Apply first spray just when the buds begin to open. 
Follow this with sprayings at intervals of about 14 days until the 
fruit is readv to pick. 
(2) Establish good circulation of air about the plants by cut¬ 
ting out the lower drooping branches. 
