Abstract
In February 1943 the Minister of Agriculture (Eire) set up a Flax Development Board for the purpose of encouraging flax production. Owing to the stimulus of better prices and a guaranteed market for flax under war-time conditions, the area cropped in 1942 had already risen to 18,552 acres compared with only 4,123 acres in 1939. The Board's activities resulted in a further sharp rise in area under flax, the peak being reached in 1945 when just over 32,800 acres were grown. Such intensive cultivation inevitably introduced fresh problems, and diseases and pests became more prevalent and assumed greater significance. At the request of the Board, Dr. R. McKay has prepared a bulletin, “Flax Diseases” (price 5s.), which will meet a long-felt want. Though the information contained in this publication does not claim to be new, it has hitherto been so scattered in various scientific and agricultural journals as to be quite inaccessible to the ordinary farmer, flax inspector or mill-owner. The diseases are grouped according to the causative factor, whether it be fungus, parasitic flowering plant or non-parasitic agent, such as weather conditions. Insect pests are also included. The symptoms are clearly described and illustrated in each case and control measures suggested where possible. References are supplied for those who wish for more detailed information, and a useful glossary of scientific terms included.
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Diseases of Flax. Nature 160, 254 (1947). https://doi.org/10.1038/160254a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/160254a0