The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-04-19
GUST BARBERRY;
/ SAVE The WHEAT
State and Federal Agents Will
Enforce Public Safety Com
missions Order.
PLAN VIGOR( US DRIVE
School Children and Patriotic Citizens
to Cooperate on Arbor Day, April
19-sarberry Is Vicious Ally
of Black Rust.

II you have barberry bushes-any
kind Of barberry bushes except the
Japanese (Berberris thunbergii-on
your place, whether it be a city lot
or farm, prepare to dig them now.
In accordance with an order re-
Gently Issued by the Minnesota Com.
mission of Public Safety, barberry
bushes of all kinds, except the JAP
anese, are to be dug up and destroy
ed. A. G. Ruggles, state entomolo-
gist, has been commissioned to see
that the order is carried out forth
with" which means right now. He
is already at work.
The reason for the order is seen
in the fact that barberry bushes are
the vicious allies Of the black stem
rust of wheat and other grains. This
disease in 1916 caused a loss of 3d.
900, 900 bushels of wheat in Minnesota
alone-about $30,0O0,OO0 as wheat
prices stood then, about 100000
worth of wheat as prices stand now.
That the barberry bushes are allies
of the black stem rust is seen in the
fact that the winter spores of the
rust, formed on wheat or grasses at
harvest time and remaining on the
straw until spring, cannot infect the
wheat, oats, or grass plants directly,
but must pass to the barberry plants,
from which they are redistributed to
the grains and grasses in condition to
do mischief again. In this way, at
least in part, the rust plague is re-
peated from year to year, especially
if the weather conditions are favor
able.
Safety Commissions Order.
The public safety commissions or
der for the eradication of the bar
berry was issued in order to bring
the state into close cooperation with
the federal government in a cam
paign against the black stem rust,
under the general direction of E. c.
Stakman of the Minnesota experiment
station in the central west, and UNI
der the special direction of E. M.
Freeman, dean of the Minnesota col
lege Of agriculture, in Minnesota.
The order in part reads:
"All barberry bushes except the
species and variety known as Jap
anese barberry (Berberris thunbergif
are hereby declared to be, and the
same are, public nuisance and a
menace to the public welfare, and
their maintenance, propagation, sale,
or introduction in the state is forbid
den, It shall be the duty of every
person owning or having charge of
any premises on which barberry
bushes OF the rust-producing varieties
are grown, or at any time found grow
ing, to forthwith destroy such bushes.
"The state entomologist is author
lied to cause all rust-produc-
ing barberry bushes. within the state
of Minnesota to be eradicated. :.
1t shall be the duty of the county board
Of every county in this state to order
and cause the eradication of all such
rust-producing barberry bushes within
their respective counties under the
instructions and according to the di>
rections of the state entomologist"
Eradication on Arbor Day.
In compliance with this positive or.
der, arrangements have been made
to interest the schools and commune
| ties of the state in the large eradica-
ton of barberry plants on Arbor day
April 10.
The spring is chosen as the time
for the eradication campaign, because
1t is then that the spores of the rust
pass from the old straw to the bar,
berry to gain fresh lease of life be-
fore passing on to the new crop of
grains and grasses. II the barberry
bushes are destroyed at this time,
therefore, there will be no new lease
of life for the winter spores developed
| late last summer.
Japanese VS.. Common Burberry.
The Japanese barberry is usually
from 2 to 4 feet in height and has
| somewhat spreading, reddish brown
| stems, while the common barberry
grows to height of, from 4 to 8
| feet, with its stems mostly upright
and of gray or grayish green color.
The spines of the Japanese barberry
are mostly single, while on the COM
mon barberry they are usually in
| groups Of three. The spines on the
former are geneally smaller than on
/ the latter, also. The buds and leaf
clusters on the Japanese variety are
about one-half inch or less apart;
on the common variety they are about
| an inch apart. The leaves of the Jap
anese plants are spoon-shaped, smooth
around the edges, and green, whereas
those~of the other kind are large and
broad, have spiny teeth along the
| edges, and are either green or purple.
The Japanese flowers and fruit grow
singly or in small clusters, while those
on the other grow in long clusters.
How to Destroy the "Spiny Huns"
To destroy the common barberry,
dig 1t up, being careful to get the
whole crown and the large roots. so
that it may not sprout again.
Who says this war isn't popu-
lar? A million and quarter of
persons in the Ninth Federal re-
serve district are buying Liberty
bonds of this Third Loan-that S
a