Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-05-29

A special writer in the Country
Gentleman, tells US that the war Oh
the barberry bush to prevent It breed
Ing the fungus which produces black
stem rust in wheat is centuries old. He
says:
4 took the work more than 2,O0O
years to discover any relation between
the grain rust and the barberry leaves.
Some 200 or 800 years ago 1t began to
dawn upon folks that wherever the
rust was yirulent there were to be
found barberry plants near by. 1t was
in the city Of Rouen France. in 1850
an ordinance was passed prohibiting
the growing of barberr'es because OK
their danger to grains.
From that time until the present
there are records of numerous laws
prohibiting oarberries. Connecticut
took action in 1926 by giving any, city
the right to. !egislate against them.
This law was renewed in 1879. right in
the midst Of war Massachusetts made
legal plans in June, -1775, to have all
barberries erad!cated by June IL, 17oo.
Rhode Island passed an eradication
law IN 1866.
The curious thing about all these
laws is that the real connection be-
tween the barberry and the rust was
not known. It has not been until
within the past fifty years that the
life history Of the rust has been
worked out and scientific basis given
for the belief Of before. It has not
been more than q dozen years since
plant breeding was begun to deter
mine II wheat strains could be bred
up that would resist rust.
However. none of these early laws
in America or even much later ones IN
Europe were enforced. 1t remained
for Denmark to pass a law with teeth
In it in 1903. That country had for
years been visited with black-rust out
breaks that were growing more and
more virulent. The law provided pen
alties and. gave authorities the right
to enter premises, dig up bushes and
then collect from the owners.
The rsuH has been that the black
stem rust Of wheat had gradually dis
appeared from Denmark until 1t Is
practically unknown today, except for
local outbreaks. In almost every such
instance an isolated barberry growing
somewhere has been found near tho
outbreak.
These results in Denmark have been
largely responsible for the plant
pathologists of the middle west under
taking a wartime emergency campaign
in the spring wheat belt against the
black stem rust by means Of eradi-
eating the barberry. Men from the
United States department OF agricul-
ture, in cooperation with pathologtsts
from the various state experiment sta
tions, have organized a plan Of attack
that reaches from Montana east and
includes the Dakotas. Minnesota, Ne
braska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, the
northern parts Of Illinois, Indiana and
Ohio and the wheat sections OF Wyom-
ing and Colorado. 1t is III these states
that they have asked for the complete
eradication Of the barberry. -
North Dakota and Minnesota have
already taken drastic legal action to
get rid Of the barberry. In all the other
states results will have to come from
voluntary action Of property owners.
In several states the governors, at the
personal request Of Secretary Houston,
have issued barberry proclamations. In
Iowa, Governor w. L. Harding included
in his Arbor day proclamation re-
quest that the day be devoted to bar
berry digging. In all the states the
state council Of defense gave the cam
paign official sanction.
In 1917 North Dakota passed an
eradication law. Power was given to
Nef ipio IN enter
premises and dig UP barberry bushes
when the owner refused to do, 80
Every man in the state complied with
the law It seems To date not a single
plant has been dug UP by officials
North. Dakota had sad memories OF
! 1915 and needed no urging.
Minnesota tried to get such law
but the legislature failed to enact 1t. So
IN March, 1918, the commission Of pub
lie safety. q wartime emergency BODY
: