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A DIGEST OF THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BARBERRY
ERADICATION CAMPAIGN IN SOUTH DAKOTA, 1927

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By Raymond 0. Bulger, State Leader, Barberry Eradication in South Dako K L.

Richardson, Agent, Office of Cereal Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S.
Department of Agriculture.

Black stem rust is the worst enemy of the grain grower in the Northwest. It is the
biggest hazard that the producer of cereal grains faces in his efforts to harvest a profit-
able crop. During the last ten years its yearly toll in South Dakota alone has averaged
almost 9,000,000 bushels of grain.

Barberry eradication has been found to be an effective means of reducing these ex-
cessive stem-rust losses. This project was started in South Dakota in April, 1918. Since
that time the task of finding and destroying this harmful bush has continued as rapidly as
possible with the time and funds available.

The results of this campaign are highly gratifying to those who understand the cam-
paign and have followed it. Every year from 1918 to 1927 the total number of bushes found
and destroyed has increased until 131,725 barberries, large and small, have been destroyed
on 1,244 properties in South Dakota. The willingness of the property owners and the support
of the citizens and organizations within the State have made these results possible.

The barberry eradication campaign in South Dakota is directed by a State Leader,
under the supervision of the Office of Cereal Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry,
United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., in cooperation with the South
Dakota State College, the State Department of Agriculture, and other State and civic organic
zations. The Conference for the Prevention of Grain Rust, Minneapolis, composed of repre-
sentatives of agricultural and allied interests, cooperates closely with the campaign.

As it is under Federal Supervision, barberry eradication is financed almost entirely
by Federal funds. Since its beginning ten years ago, only $15,000 in money has been fur-
nished directly by the State. During the same period more than 12 times as much has been
received directly from the Federal Government. Splendid support and some valuable indirect
aid have been given by various organizations and institutions within the State. The total
cost to the Government and the State for finding and destroying 131,725 barberries in South
Dakota has been less than $3.00 per farm. On the other hand, the annual stem-rust loss in
this State is estimated to have been about $125 per faro during the last ten years. In
certain years losses have been much higher. In 1916 the average loss per farm was approxi-
mately $800.

Three types of survey have been used in finding barberries. These are the first or
preliminary survey, the second survey, and the resurvey.

Introduction

Financing

Survey for Barberries

The first or preliminary survey was a property-to-property survey in cities, towns,
and villages and a farm-to-farm survey of all rural properties in the State. The purpose
of this survey was the destruction of the largest number of bushes in the shortest possible
time. Every barberry destroyed lessens the chance of stem rust infection. Therefore, at
the beginning of the eradication campaign more emphasis was placed on destroying a large
number of bushes than on getting every bush as the survey progressed. The first survey was
completed in 1924.

The second survey is more intensive than the first. On this survey every foot of
every property upon which barberries may be growing is searched for barberries. The field
agents on second survey locate not only the straggling bushes missed on the first survey, but
also the new bushes which have grown from seeds scattered from the planted bushes by birds
or other agencies. (See Map No. 1.)

Some one may ask if it would not have been better to have gone slowly on the first
survey and taken time to find every bush. Had that plan been followd, only a small portion
of the State would have been covered yet, and all of the bushes in the unsurveyed portion
v/ould have been causing damage during all this time. As it was carried on, the greater
portion of the bushes was found and eradicated within a few years. Naturally some bushes
were missed on the first survey, and these are capable of doing some damage, but the chance
of great damage was reduced materially in a few years by speeding up the work and covering
the whole State.

Resurveys are reinspections of the properties on which barberries have been found
and destroyed. Such resurveys are necessary to find and kill sprouts and seedlings develop-
ing where bushes were destroyed in the first or second surveys.

Summary of All Activities, 1927

Second survey constituted the major activity in South Dakota this year. Due to the
intensive type of work necessary of second survey, only about three and a half counties
we re covered this year. Resurvey of old barberry properties was carried on in connection
with the second survey. In addition, a resurvey was carried on in nine other counties.

In all these twelve and a half counties in which field agents were employed, 339 barberry
bushes, 77 sprouting bushes, and 941 seedlings were found on 44 different properties. «

In addition to the actual survey for barberries, a careful stem-rust survey was
carried on this year. The development and severity of this disease was observed over the
entire State during the growing season. In order to check more accurately on the losses to
small-grain crops, elevator men in every section of the State were interviewed in regard to
the quality as expressed by test weight per bushel, the grade, and the amount of shriveling.

These interviews, together with data received through the observations on the development of
stem rust, served as a basis for making loss estimates.

Educational work for the purpose of informing people of the merits and progress of
the campaign was continued during this year. This phase of the project may be summarized as
follows: A total of 82 demonstrations was held, consisting of fair demonstrations, field

demonstrations, and miscellaneous demonstrations. Material for study was sent to 3,543
schools and colleges. A speaker was supplied to 46 meetings. A total of 262 stories

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was published in weekly and daily papers, including 28 stories sent out by the college
editors, and three magazine articles. Bulletins and circulars aggregating 27,550 copies
were distributed, and 350 posters placed in conspicuous places. Approximately 41,152 pieces
of mimeographed or multigraphed material and about 37,000 miscellaneous pieces were sent to
various people during the calendar year.

Present Status of Barberry Eradication Campaig n
in South Dakota, December 51 , 1927

1. The first- survey of the entire State was completed at the close of the field
season in 1924. A total of 51,256 large barberry bushes and 15,078 seedlings was found on
883 different properties as a result of this survey.

2. A second survey was started in 1923 to find and destroy any barberries that were
not located in the first survey. Nearly 30 counties have been covered in this survey, and
as a result 2,271 bushes and 1,389 seedlings have been found on 247 properties. (See Map

No. 1.)

3. Resurvey has followed the first survey whenever necessary for the purpose of
checking up on the properties on which barberries were found. The results of this survey
show that 43,102 bushes were sprouting and that 9,495 seedlings had grown up from barberry
seeds. In addition, 7,364 new bushes and 11,265 seedlings were found on 114 different
properties .

4. During the entire campaign a grand total of 131,725 bushes, sprouting bushes,
and seedlings has been found and destroyed on 1,244 different properties in South Dakota-

(See Map . No . 2 .)

5. The use of chemicals for killing barberry bushes has practically solved the
sprouting bush problem. New seedlings and escaped bushes, however, are found each year.
The most difficult problem at present is to find all of these bushes that have escaped from
cultivation by means of seed dissemination.

6. Education and publicity has helped to clear away some of the skepticism which was
manifested early in the campaign relative to the merits of the project. Practically every-
one has heard of the barberry eradication campaign and is more or less familiar with the
facts regarding it, but much remains to be done before the public in general has a thorough
understanding of this activity.

Rust Spreads from Barberries

7. Many instances of the spread of black stem rust from common barberries to grains
and grasses have been found and recorded in South Dakota since the barberry eradication
campaign was started in April, 1918. Barberry bushes also have been located by tracing the
source of the stem-rust attack directly to them. However, not all rust spreads have bees
found by our field men. Many of the best examples of the spread of rust from barberries
are those which have been noted year after year by the farmers who lived near the offending
bushes.

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Widespread epidemics that cover a number of counties or a large portion of the State

cannot be traced in most. cases to single barbe.rry locations. However, the large numbers of
infected barberries found in South Dakota and the many local stem-rust, spreads from them
have undoubtedly been the principal source of the rust that started these epidemics. With
its broad, open prairies and its contiguous grain fields. South Dakota offers abundant
opportunity for the spread of stem-rust spores. Consequently, the barberry bushes re-
sponsible for a rust spread may be found at some distance from the most severe infection.

8. The removal of barberry bushes has decreased the amount of 3tem rust in instances
where rust has been found spreading from the bushes. A careful check-up each year has shown
that stem rust, since the bushes were killed, has been no heavier on these farms than in the
surrounding locality.

Stem Rust Losses in 1927

Black stem rust was present in alarming proportions during 192? in South Dakota.
It occurred over a wide area, but the most severe damage was confined to districts in which
crops were unusually late. The latest estimates show that the damage from this rust is less
than was .first anticipated by many observers. In spite of the fear before harvest time of
great damage from stem rust, the acre yields of wheat, oats, and barley all exceed the five-
year average in this State.

Moreover, spring wheat received on the Minneapolis market from South Dakota, accord-
ing to a report showing the gradings made by licensed inspectors, averaged 53.3 pounds per
bushel in 1927, compared with an average of 58 pounds in 1926, and 56 pounds for the ten-
year period 1917 to 1926, which did not include the bad rust year of 1916. By this report
it is shown that the quality of wheat was higher in 1927 than in former years, despite the
presence of an apparent stem-rust epidemic.

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By eradicating all the barberry bushes, the local infection or early infection is
eliminated. By holding back the early development of rust, losses will be greatly reduced.
Although stem rust was present this year, it did not have sufficient time to develop to a
maximum in spite of the late crops. This is exactly what is excepted of barberry eradica-
tion— not necessarily to eliminate rust altogether, but to delay it in such a way as to
avoid severe losses.

Reasons for Epidemic

Granting that stem-rust infection seemed unusually heavy in 1927, one must remember
that millions of rust-spreading barberries remain in the 13 States of the barberry eradica-
tion area. All of these are potential starters' of stem rust.

In South Dakota alone, more than 1,200 barberries were destroyed in 1927, while in
the six northwest States, including Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Montana, and the two Dakotas,
over 50,000 bushes were destroyed this year. All of these barberries were near enough to
the grain fields of South Dakota to be responsible for aiding the stem-rust epidemic this
season. In addition, there still are thousands of barberries in South Dakota and possibly
millions in the six States mentioned.

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It is not necessary that a barberry bush be located near a grainfield in order to
spread the devastating rust. Rust spores are produced early in the spring on the barberry
bush. These spores are very small and are easily carried by the wind, which deposits them
on the grains, The wind can carry the rust for many miles, In fact, cases have been found
where one barberry bush has spread rust infection to fields many miles distant. Stem rust
on grains does not mean that a barberry bush is growing in the immediate vicinity- — it may
come from a bush in the next county, or perhaps in the next State.

Harvest was from ten to fifteen days later than usual over most of the State. This
gave ample opportunity for a small amount of early rust from the remaining barberries to
develop sufficiently to cause damage before the grain was cut. Once started, stem rust
multiplies and spreads very rapidly. The additional ten to fifteen days before harvest this
year allowed a pronounced increase in development over that which occurs in a normal grow-
ing season.

Difficulties of Survey and Eradication

The complete eradication of the common barberry from South Dakota is a difficult
task, This job is not nearly complete. Years will have passed before the State can be
pronounced entirely free from these rust-spreading bushes.

Barberries have been planted on home sites that are now abandoned. Weeds, shrubbery,
and trees hide bushes from view, so that an extremely careful survey is necessary. Every
foot of natural and planted trees or shrubbery must be searched. The difficulty is increased
many fold by the fact that the bushes that have sprung from scattered seeds may be growing
in almost inaccessible places and in many instances are completely hidden by the surround-
ing vegetation. Escaped barberry bushes have been found in swamps, river lowlands, rocky
ledges, cliffs,' and steep hillsides. Often the barberry seeds fail to germinate for three
or four, or as many as seven or more years. After germination, several years may pass be-
fore the seedlings are big enough to be easily found.

A new area of escaped barberries was located in the city of Hot Springs this year.
Nearly 200 barberries were found growing out of the rocky cliffs of the Black Hills. The
outer limits of this area have not yet been found. Every foot within a five-mile radius of
the city will have to be covered carefully before this area can be pronounced free of bar-
berries .

Other Control Measures

In addition to eradicating barberries, there are other measures which should be used
in controlling stem rust. These include the early sowing of crops, the use of early varie-
ties, and the breeding of varieties resistant to stem rust. All of these measures should be
continued simultaneously with barberry eradication, at least until the barberries are more
nearly cleaned out of the State than at present. The treating of grain crops with sulphur
dust shows some promise. However, this is in the experimental stage, and much remains to
be done on this control measure before it can be known whether it will be of practical use.

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Other Cereal Rusts

Stem rust is not the only rust that attacks cereal crops. During 1927, an epidemic
of leaf rust appeared on wheat. This rust was present both earlier and in far greater
quantity than stem rust. Fortunately, this disease does not usually do great damage, at
least not comparable to stem rust. There was also an epidemic of crown rust, or leaf rust,
on oats, which caused considerable damage to the 1927 oat crop. In addition, there is a
leaf rust of rye and of barley. Neither of these rusts has been of much consequence so far
in South Dakota,

It should be thoroughly understood that barberry eradication will never control the
leaf rusts of these crops. It is a control measure for stem rust only. Other control mea=
sures will have to be employed for the leaf rust. Stem rust and leaf rust are somewhat sim-
ilar in appearance, but are entirely different diseases. A careful identification should
be made before a rust is called either leaf rust or stem rust. Specimens will be identified
if sent to the State Leader of Barberry Eradication, South Dakota State College, Brookings,
South Dakota.

Conclusion

It is definitely known that the common barberry spreads stem rust. This is no longer
a theory. Therefore, every barberry bush left growing in the community is a menace to the
small-grain crops. The cooperation of every citizen is essential to the successful comple-
tion of the campaign. Whenever a shrub is found which is believed to be barberry, a sample
should be sent to the Barberry Eradication Office, South Dakota State College, Brookings,
South Dakota.

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NUMBERS OF BARBERRY BUSHES AND SEEDL/N6S FOUND

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AREA COVERED IN SECOND SURVEY
FARMS HAVING BARBERRY BUSHES

TOWNS HAVING BARBERRY BUSHES SURVEYS MUST BE CONTINUED FOR TEN YEARS TO INSURE THAT THE STATE IS

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