The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1923-05-10

The advance guard of the federal
barberry eradication forces in Min
nesota took the field this week when
a team of scouts was dispatched to
an early inspection for sprouts in
counties of the Red River Valley.
The scouts are Roland C. Bevan
and Leslie Holt of the University Col
lege of Agriculture. Under orders OF
l.. w. Melander, state leader, they
will start out by visiting every loca.
ton in Stearns county where bar
berry bushes have been found in the
past. They will then work west
through Pope, Douglas, Grant and
Stevens to Big Stone and then turn
north through Traverse, Wilkin, OF,
ter Tail, Becker, Clay, Norman,
Mahnomen, Polk, Red Lake. Pen
nington, Marshall, Kittson and Ros-
eau.
Their mission is to make certain
the destruction of any sprouts that
may have appeared from roots re-
naming in the ground when barberry
bushes were dug out in previous
years. They will also search the vicin-
ity of each old planting for new seed
lings that may have been overlooked
in the original survey. Their instruc-
tons are to take measures to assure
the destruction of every barberry in
western Minnesota before the bushes
begin to rust.
Persons in the western counties
who may know or suspect the pres
ence of barberries in any locality are
requested to notify their county
agent at once so that the information
may be passed on to the barberry
men for investigation.
.."U" Aids Farmers to Control Go.
pher Pest-C. E. Nickel, entomolo-
glst with the agricultural extension
service of the state university, is
holding a series of demonstrations in
the state for eradicating the pocket
gopher. This little rodent spends its
life under ground and lives upon
plant roots. 1t is decidedly partial to
the roots Of alfalfa and other leg
umes.
Minnesota will grow more legumes
this year than ever before. The alf-
alta acreage will be greatly increased
Answering calls from county agents
of Dakota, Olmsted, Winona, Grow
Wing, Ottertail, Kittson, and Kama
bee counties, Mr.. Nickel is demon
strating the formula for making poi
son bait for the gopher. One-eighth
of an ounce of powdered strychnia
(alkaloid), one-eighth of an ounce OF
baking soda and one-eightieth of an
ounce of saccharine are mixed and
sifted upon four quarts Of diced
vegetables such as potatoes, carrots
parsnips, beets, turnips, etc. The
second phase of the demonstrations
shows how the main runways may be
located and how the poison should
be placed in order to get the gopher
instruction is also given in "moping
up" the gophers after the first blow
has been struck at them.
Alfalfa fields furnish ideal places,
says Mr.. Nickel, for the production
of the gophers because a food which
they relish is found in abundance and
the ground is disturbed only at rare
intervals. Mr.. Nickel studied the
problem and fought the pests with
much success in Nebraska for three
years.
lager Says Beekeepers Should I'm.
prove Quality-Light demand fol-
honey has had its effect on prices un-
til it is quoted at only 9 1-2 cents to
II cents a pound at wholesale. Bee
keepers are confronted by conditions
similar to those which have worked to
the disadvantage of general farmers
says Francis jaeger, chief of the divi.
sion of bee culture, University OF
Minnesota.
"Beekeepers will be urged to produce
a better quality of honey rather than
to increase production" says Mr.
jaeger. "Clear white extracted honey
commands premium in all markets
so too does we'll finished comb honey
in clear white and we'll filled sections
There is little demand for dark hon.
eys. Beekeepers of this country must
take steps to improve quality anC
also to devise ways and means of dis
posing of their crop at profitable fig.
ures. For lack of a steady demand
honey being more or less seasonal
commodity prices have declined un.
til the honey producer is getting
worried.
GAS a matter of fact honey pro.
duction is becoming more and more a
task for the specialist. "A bee hive on
every farm appeals as slogan, but
if worked out in actual practice il
might prove menace in spreading
diseases, to say nothing of demora.
lizing prices when small beekeepers
bid against each other in marketing
their product"