198 IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Vol. XXVI, 1919 



Then a paragraph on starting a hedge from seed and a paragraph 

 as follows : "The popular opinion has been that rust in grain 

 emanated from the barberry. Late researches seem to confirm this 

 popular notion. A peculiar fungus, called by scientists y^cidium 

 Berheridis can be found on the leaves of all species and varieties 

 of the barberry." A short description of the fungus follows. "Smut 

 in wheat is declared only another form of this fungus. Admitting 

 the idea to be well founded, no harm would result when used near 

 dwellings for yard hedges." Mr. Suel Foster of Muscatine esteems 

 the barberry for an ornamental hedge. 



Professor Budd was a student of scientific horticultural literature 

 of the time. What he wrote about the barberry may have been his 

 experience in his nursery in Benton county, but he does not say so. 

 1 am inclined to think that some of the information was gleaned 

 from published sources. He was familiar with the Darlington- 

 Thurber Agricultural Botany" where the statement is made : "It 

 was formerly a popular belief, and one which prevails yet to some 

 extent, that the barberry possesses the power of blasting grain." 



At the annual meeting of the Iowa State Horticultural Society held 

 in 1869^" various hedge plants were mentioned like the buckthorn. 

 osage, honey locust, white willow, but no reference to the barbeny 

 was made. We infer from this that the plant was not generally 

 used in Iowa. 



In 1872 James Mathews, president of the Iowa State Horti- 

 cultural Society, in his presidential address says : "I pass over 

 the thorn, barberry, etc., because I have had no experience with them, 

 nor has my observation enabled me to form any satisfactory con- 

 clusion on the subject." In other words these plants were not com- 

 monly used as hedge plants in Iowa. Mr. Mathews lived in Knox- 

 ville, Iowa, where he conducted a nursery and orchard. Hedges are 

 further discussed in the report of this society for 1872, but no 

 mention was made of the barberry by the persons who discussed 

 the subject. It was evidently not such a common plant, otherwise 

 some comments would have been made. 



Samuel Lorton of Davenport is said to have extensively propa- 

 gated the barberry in 1870. This is his recollection. Dr. I. E. Mel- 

 hus, R. S. Kirby and L. W. Durrell in some unpublished manuscript 

 make this statement, with reference to the early introduction of the 

 common barberry. "The earliest reliable information regarding the 



iiAmerican "Weeds and Useful Plants; being a second and illustrated 

 edition of Agricultural Botany, revised with additions, by George Thurbi r. 

 "Iowa Homestead and Western Farm Journal 14: 26, No. 4, 1869. 



