The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1925-05-28
DEPARTMENT FOR THE AGRICULTURISTS

large increase in the number of seed
samples analysed the present fiscal
year for farmers, dealers, county
agents, and others. The number for
1924-25, with more than a month yet
to go, is 8,195 compared with 6,161
in 1921, $500 in 1929, and 1868
in 1923-24.
The large dealers are doing more
of their own testing than ever before
and the number of samples from that
source is declining year by year. On
the other hand, more of the small
dealers and more farmers are making
use of the service given by the state
laboratory. Samples are now receiv-
ed from every county in the state
In recent years, too, samples have
been analysed and reported upon for
experiment stations or farmers in
Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland,
Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New
York, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Washington and Wisconsin.
Corn termination tests totaled
2,215 the present fiscal years as
against sos last year and 47O the
year before last. Samples received
this year averaged only IS per cent
in terminating ability as against SO
per cent in 1924 and 80 per cent
in 1929.
Burberry Seedlings and Sprouts
Must Co Minnesota's 1925 cam
paign against the common barberry,
host plant of black stem rust, will be
in full swing July 1 when 20 young
men from the University Depart
ment of Agriculture will begin sys-
tematic survey in IL counties in
in southwestern Minnesota to COM
bat new sprouts and seedlings of the
obnoxious plant.
The barberry is fighting hard for
its life. Even where the bushes have
been removed, sprouts spring up and,
if neglected, soon develop into good
sized bushes. Seeds of old plants de-
stroyed several years ago did not
terminate at once but are now send
ing up shoots. The 1925 drive in
Minnesota will be largely against
these new sprouts and seedlings.
At the same time barberry fight
ers in Iowa and South Dakota will be
hopping up in counties adjacent to
southwestern Minnesota. So far as
Minnesota is concerned, it is hoped
to check up every lot and every farm
in IL southwestern counties. Two
teams of two men each have been car
rying on resurvey in the Red River
valley since May l to get all sprout-
ing bushes and Seeding before they
have chance to spread the rust.
Township chairmen in Minnesota
will cooperate in this fight on the
berry. Every chairman will be con-
suited and the barberry situation will
be presented and examined at all
weed conferences.
L. w. Melander of University
Farm, state leader of barberry eradi-
cation, will supervise the field forces,
with E. Fl. Ostrom, also of University
Farm in charge of demonstrations at
fairs and other meetings. According
to Mr.. Melander the first rust of the
season on barberry in Minnesota was
reported from Rochester on May 1.
Burberry bushes to the number of
1926, AL were found and destroyed in
Minnesota from 1913 to the end of
1924. In the six years 1929, 104
barberry bushes, including seedlings,
have been found in the 13 northern
grain growing states.
Moldy Butter Losses Absolutely
Needless-"Moldines in butter is alb
solutely preventable by any creamery
operator who is willing to apply dill
igent efforts says Harold Macy, bac-
teriologist for the division of dairy
husbandry of the University of Min
nesota.
"Molds are living plants and must
be present and alive to do any dam
age" Mr.. Macy adds. eff they are
excluded or destroyed there will be no
moldiness of the butter"
Molds grow luxuriantly in sour
cream or buttermilk. If the butter
milk tank in the creamery is emptied
every few days for cleaning and steri-
lizing and if farmers patrons of the
creamery would use two sets of cans,
one for carrying their cream to the