The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1918-04-10
THE REVIEWS SPECIAL
FARM NEWS DEPARTMENT
John H. D. Gray
IEDlrOR
Live News About Crawford County Farms
and Farmers
John H. D. Gray
IEDlTOR

more than two hundred million
bushels of wheat stands in danger of
being destroyed in the spring wheat
regions of the United States this year
unless every loyal citizen pulls out
from front yards or parks all of its
common barbery bushes says j. j.
Wilson, special representatives of the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture, who is in Denison and Crawford
county this week i'll campaign to stir
up interest in the barbery eradication
This campaign is being undertaken by
the U. S. government throughout the
spring wheat area. Every barberry
bush that remains in the ground after
May 15th," declares Mr.. Wilson, "Is a
menace to the wheat crop in this vicin-
ity. Scientists have proven what for
more than 200 years has been suspect
ed, that the black stem rust of wheat.
an epidemic which in 1916 was respon-
sible for a loss of over two hundred
million bushels Of grain, passes
through one stage of its existence on
the common barberry shrub. Spores
of the rust, which is fungus parasite,
settle on the leaves of the barberry in
the spring, terminate, burst and
spread countless spores in the air.
These spores are carried by the winds
to wheat, oats and other grain fields
If there is no grain field near it does
not matter. The spores settle on squir-
rel tail grass, bronze grass or other
grasses and spread in that way. Once
the rust gets ahold, it spreads for
miles like wildfire. One row of bar
berry shrubbery in city yard will
destroy hundreds of acres Of wheat
within short time. It takes about
five days for rust spore to reproduce
other spores. Once started. it repro
duces in proportion about like flies or
mosquitoes. The barberry serves
no purpose except as an ornamental
shrub. 1t is used frequently on lawns.
in parks or cemeteries. The Japanese
barberry, which is often used, does not
carry the wheat rust and can be
planted in place of the common vari-
cites. The common variety has a
three pointed barb or spire on the
stem yhile usually the Japanese has
q single pointed thorn. The berries
rant like clusters, while the Japanese
Japanese plant are smooth margined
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with small, sharp needlelike thorns.
The Japanese plant is low, dense
bush. Mr.. Wilson will spend three
days in Crawford county and while
here he will work in cooperation with
the county council Of defense, the SUI
perintendent of school. the county
agent, local papers, pupils Of agricul,
tural classes and other agencies. to
secure list of all persons who have
barberry bushes growing and to urge
that they be dug up by the roots at
In the past year an unprecedented
number Of tractors have been placed
on the farms of Iowa, say the farm en-.
cheering men at Iowa State college,
and if necessary they will be run night
and day to prepare the land for 1Owa's
bumper corn crop. Community owner
ship and use of the tractor and trac.
tor plows is becoming increasingly
popular and in order to get all the
work done, night shifts are being plan.
ned to continue blowing by the aid of
a headlight. In some places. discard
ed acetylene outfits are being rejuv-
einated for the purpose.
In feeding hogs for the market, az
also any other class of meat animals
larger returns are obtained when the
stock is as nearly uniform as possible.