214 ANNUAL RKPOKTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ureas; io the c'liroiiin^ciiiont d! c'(li!cli\e local eradicaliou of currants 

 and «>:ooseberrie.s in cooperation with towns, associations, anil indi- 

 viduals; and to educate j^ine owners to a realization that wild Kibes 

 exist, that the blister rust attacks white ])ine oidy after a period of 

 growth on the wild or cultivated bushes of this <:^emis, and that they 

 must destroy currant and gooseberry bushes to prevent serious dam- 

 age to the pine trees. 



The interest of the pul)lic in safeguarding the white pine is shown 

 by the fact that in IDl'J the State forestry department of New Hamp- 

 shire destroyed 21,171 cultivated currant bushes belonging to l,()ii3 

 owners, and only 3 requested compensation from the State. During 

 the 3'ear the interest of local cooperating agencies has been very en- 

 couraging, 'i'his is well illustrated in New Hampshire, where 53 

 towns voted appropriations for cooperative control work, totaling 

 #8,514, and individuals and associations subscribed $2,053 additional. 

 J^ocal agencies in cooperating States ai)propriated about $25,000 for 

 the protection of their pines b}' the eradication of curi'ants and goose- 

 berries, and the outlook for further cooperation of this sort is 

 favorable. 



Experience thus far gained on demonstration and local control 

 areas has definitely proved that under normal conditions at least 95 

 per cent of the wild currant and gooseberry bushes on a given area 

 can be permanently removed at a cost ranging from 5 cents to $1.50 

 per acre. The cost of eradicating 4,574,293 currant and gooseberry 

 bushes in the Northeastern States in 1919, on 252,114 acres, aver- 

 aged 42 cents per acre for labor, or 54 cents including supervision. 

 In 1918 the average cost, including supervision, Avas G6 cents per acre. 

 The average labor cost for the New Kngland States was reduced from 

 44 cents per acre in 1918 to 24 cents pei- acre in 1919. This marked 

 reduction in the cost per acre Avas accomplished by improved methods 

 of locating and uprooting wild currant and gooseberry buslies. It is 

 expected that a further reduction in cost will be effected from the 

 practical application of the results of an ecological study of Ribes, 

 which is now in progress. A method of killing Ribes with inexpen- 

 sive chemicals is also lieing developed. 



"Wild currants and gooseberries do not reappear rapidly in an area 

 that has l)oen worked by an efficient crew. Thorough checking on 

 2,485 acres in eight separate tracts previously gone over by eradica- 

 tion crews shoAved that on an average acre (V2 bushes, or 95.5 per 

 cent, Avere destroyed in the first Avorking and 3 bushes in the second 

 working. Of the latter, 2 bushes Avere missed in the first working 

 and 1 bush developed from seeds or sj^routs. Bushes missed by the 

 crews usually are small plants groAving in underbrush. Such plants 

 haA'e less leaf surface than tlie average plant; therefore the total 

 percentage of protection to the pines is considerably greater than 

 the total percentage of currant and gooseberry bushes destroyed. 



In NcAv York State, Avhere 87 per cent of the bushes Avere removed 

 in the first Avorking of the area, it Avas found by actual counting of 

 the leaves that 97 per cent of the leaf surface was destroyed. The 

 leaA^es of 2,194 Avild gooseberry bushes Avere counted in this test. 

 In the first working of the area bushes bearing 94,429 leaves Avere 

 destroyed. In three subsequent workings of the area only 3,094 leaves 

 Avere found. IMore than 1,000 separate checks were made to determine 

 the efficiency of the crews in eradicating Avild Ribes. The aA^erage of 



