The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1920-07-22
OPEN WAR ON
BLACK RUST
Government Officials Ar
rive in Kenosha to Help
Protect Wheat Crop.
AFTER BARBERRIES

Kenosha county's wheat crop found
two staunch friends this morning when
DR.. Schulz and Mr.. Federer two rep
resentatives of the Department of
agriculture, started war in this coun-
ty against the common barberry bushes
to prevent the spread of black rust on
wheat. The government men went out
on search for barberry bushes with
q plan to preach to the farmers of the
county the gospel of eradicating the
barberry bush in order to prevent the
spread of the rust on wheat. It is de.
clared that the barberry bushes furn-
ish breeding place for the rust and
with the destruction of the "Barbar-
GUS Barberries' much Of the damage
to the future crops can be forestalI-
ed.
AS they drove to Kenosha from
Madison, they were able to look over
partrs of the county before reaching
this city. They declared that they had
found several barberry bushes in this
county and that they were convinced
that their work was necessary here.
The war on barberries needs little
introduction in Kenosha county due
to the fact that it received a great
deal of publicity here last year by
reason of the fact that Leland L. De-
Flon, Sarkis Boshnakian, and Ralph
E. Curtis, three college lads, who were
picked up as suspects in connection
,vv.4L A. fou,o,1o h~,o~;oo~, p,,ooe 49,,
pany office robbery and the, shooting
of Policeman Tony Pingetore, were
engaged in this work at McHenry, Illi-
nois. These three were released later
and entirely freed from any connect
ton with the case but the publicity
given the episode showed the people of
Kenosha county what these young men
were doing.
eyes, we heard about that last year."
said the two enemies of the barbarous
barberry bushes, who reached Kenosha
today. ut wasn't bad way of get
ting publicity for our cause but we
do not care to try it.
Tell of Work Here.
Then they proceeded to tell more
about their war on the common bar
berry bushes and the rust spread by
them to the wheat.
"In 1916 this rust caused loss Of
nearly two hundred million bushels of
wheat in the United States" said Mr.,
Schulz. "Last year the loss of wheat
was estimated at fifty-three million
bushels Such losses can be largely
prevented in the future by the destruc-
ton Of the common barberries, SO the
government has declared war on them.
at is necessary to distinguish be-
tween the dangerous common barber
ry and the harmless Japanese or low
variety. The former has an erect
growth, the leaves are green or purple
with sawtooth edges and are usually
in clusters, the spines are usually in
threes and the berries are in racemes
as are currents The low harmless
Japanese barberry does not grow so
erect, has smaller leaves with smooth
edges, the spines are usually single
and the berries are either single or
in twos.
To Visit Every Farm.
Most of the barberries in the towns
in Kenosha county have already been
removed, but very little work has been
done in the country. DR.. Shulz and
Mr.. Federer, representing the United
States Department of Agriculture, and
the State Department of Agriculture
will conduct the work in this county,
and they expect to visit every farm in
the search for this dangerous pest.