The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1918-04-18
State and Federal Agents viii
Enforce Public Safety Com
missions Order.
Plan VIG0R( US DRIVE
school Children and Patriotic Citizens
to Cooperate on Arbor Day, April
blackberry Is Vicious Ally
of Black Rust.

kind OF barberry bushes except the
Japanese (Berberris thunbergii) -on
your place, whether 1t be 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-
g1st, 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.
600, 900 bushels of wheat in Minnesota
alone-about s30,0OO,O00 as wheat
prices stood then, about S60,0O0,000
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 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 un-
der the special direction of E. NJ
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 thunbergii)
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
L., 10 l,,kx, 80
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
ized. (. 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 d.
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 communi-
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
it 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. If 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 to 4 feet in height and has
somewhat spreading, reddish brown
stems, while the common barberry
grows to height of from to
feet, with its stems mostly uprigh,
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 II