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_ . REPORT OF 
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THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRIOULT 
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ean be extirpated is to plowor hoe the spots in which it grows e 
. day through the whole season. In their perpetual efforts to th 
.__ their leaves to the light the roots become exhausted and perish.” 
--Tt-is said also that by planting the land to Bermuda grass the Nw 
grass may be smothered out. Its appearance is well represented in ¥ 
_ grass Thay i prese i . 
% . the figure. Da 
tans . 3 c ° Phy 
ea i A correspondent of the Times-Democrat thus describes his experi-, 
“ence with this pest: iets 
ai I had a few acres thickly infested with nut:grass and determined, if possible,to 
f wae _get rid of this unwelcome interloper. Broke the land deeply in the fall, gave ita 
_ shallow plowing the following spring, and planted in cotton early in April. I 
ae cultivated it as well as I could, but it seemed almost impossible to keepahead of the 
¢" grass. About August 15, I took the turning plow, wrapped the grass upcompletely, 
“sand did not allow it to goto seed. Icannot explain how it is, bnt my coco has dis- 
noi appeared and I am troubled with it no longer. «J Mi a 
Ree: (Plate XIII.) A aa 
3 et \ ¥ ; : r ; 8 Sa 
on ci) BARBERRY (Berberis vulgaris). <i aera 
é ie : : ; : ; ut is 
B, This shrub is a native of Europe, but has been introduced into the an 
wuts 
a yellow color, and are succeeded by bright red, oblong, acid ber- 
: ries. The berries are often used in making preserves for the table. 
‘ The shrub is brought to notice, not because it has yet become so’ /— 
common as to be called a weed, but principally because of the com- — ~ 
mon but fallacious belief among farmers that the presence of this — 
‘bush was the cause of rust in grain. This opinion arose from the ~~ 
/ 
fact that the leaves of the Barberry are subject to the attack of a 
i fungus which is identical with one of. the stages of the wheat rust,  — 
ij but has no necessary connection with it. (Plate XV). > ae 
ee 
MEDICINAL PLANTS. oe wah fi 
PEPPERMINT (Mentha piperita, L.). 
Numerous requests for information regarding the cultivation of —_ 
peppermint have been answered by the division during the past year.. 
About four-fifths of the world’s supply of peppermint oil is produced | _ 
in this country, the annual product amounting to nearly $1,000,000. 
In addition to information given on this subject in former reports 
the following from Mr. P. F. Hagenbuch, a successful peppermint- 
rower of Saint Joseph County, Mich., has been furnished byrequest: — 
Pp y; ; mS 
To grow mint successfully requires a good, heavy, sandy loam and clean culture. 
Cleanliness is essential for two reasons: First, mint is a slow-growing plant, andif + 
* it is not kept clean it is soon overgrown; second, mint-oil, when pure, has a very tf 
fine flavor, while if any of the weeds known as mare-tail, fire-weed, smart-weed,or 
rag-weed are distilletl with the mint it acquires an offensive odor, which prevents 
it selling readily. pts 
Mint has been carried from this county into other States, but usually with poon. _ 
meg success. It has proved a failure in California, lowa, Illinois, and southern Minne- 
sota, the plant having a large growth but little oil. y ae 
