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Show i 6erve strength to give rise to one or more leafy shoots. Those who have dug barberries realize thnt In the ease of a large bush It Is extremely difficult to find and remove all rootj capable of sending forth sprouts. This means of course that a close watch must be kept for the appearance appear-ance of sprouts and their removal effected. In the eradication of the barberry It Is necessary to make, later, one or more Inspections of the place where a bush was dug to locate and destroy sprouts If they appear. SOME HABITS OF BARBERRY SHRUB Bureau of Plant Industry Making Study of Plant for Purpose of Eradicating It. SCATTERS BLACK STEM RUST Plant Is Most Persistent and to Make Destruction Complete Digging Must Be Thorough Root System Extensive. (Prepared by the United States Department of Agriculture.) The office of cereal investigations of bureau of plant Industry of the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricul-ture, is making a study of the habits of the common barberry with a view of Improving the methods of eradicating eradicat-ing the shrub. As Is well known, the Barberry Tree Just Pulled From Ground. common barberry spreads black stem rust of wheat, oats, barley and rye. In the past four years, during which a systematic program of eradicating the common barberry has been in progress in the 13 North-Central states, digging has been practically the only method employed. The experience ex-perience of these years has shown that the shrub is a most persistent plant, and that, to be effective, digging dig-ging must be most thorough. Extensive Root System. The root system of the common barberry bar-berry is extensive. The roots of a bush four or five feet tall may penetrate the soil to a depth of three to five feet and spread laterally an equal distance. In larger bushes the root spread Is considerably greater. The root system of the plant varies somewhat some-what with the kind of soil. In woodlands wood-lands where a layer of rich humus soil caps a more compact and less rich stratum of soli, the roots are chiefly confined to the humus layer, but extend laterally considerable distances. dis-tances. On the other hand, In a type of soil which Is fairly uniform at Its various levels the root system Is more deep-rooted, and frequently less extensive in its lateral spread. A rather constant character of the barberry bar-berry root system, however, Is the occurrence of at least a few relatively relative-ly superficial lateral roots running a few Inches beneath the soil surface. This holds true even In those bushes which have deeply penetrating roots. It Is chiefly from such laterals that sprouts originate following digging. Hence, precautions need to be taken In digging to follow out along these surface roots and to remove all of them from the soil. Reserve Food Material. The roots of the barberry store within them large quantities of reserve re-serve food material. This enables them to send up sprouts readily when the tops are cut at the ground line. Moreover, a portion of a root left In the ground may have sufficient re- |