202 ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



probably were the principal disseminating agent, with 

 water as a second factor. 



THE OGLE COUNTY AREA 



Three separate areas of escaped barberry were found 

 in Ogle County during the summer of 1922. The total 

 number of bushes in these areas was about 250 and in 

 each instance they were associated with streams in tim- 

 ber lands. The topography is somewhat rough but not 

 as rugged as that in the vicinity of Galena. Although 

 the number of bushes in the Ogle County area would in- 

 dicate that it was comparatively unimportant, there are 

 several characteristics peculiar to it. 



In the territory about the town of Chana, twenty 

 bushes all about the same size were estimated to be 

 70 years old. One of the largest bushes found in 

 Illinois was in this area (Fig. 2). Another unusual 

 characteristic was that the escaped bushes grew separate- 

 ly, only a few on each farm. 



In the area about Mt. Morris, the bushes were of all 

 sizes and were widely scattered in small groups. The 

 area is about six miles across and includes about 100 

 bushes originating from a single source. In the Polo area 

 many of the bushes were found growing on the sides of 

 rocky bluffs and eradication necessarily will be difficult. 



CHEMICAL ERADICATION 1 



The common barberry (Berber is vulgaris L.) when 

 well established is a very difficult plant to kill. This is 

 the conclusion reached after five years of effort to eradi- 

 cate the common barberries from 13 of the North-Central 

 States. 



When the bushes are dug, even small fragments of 

 roots left in the ground usually will sprout. This means 

 that where the digging is difficult, as in rocky ground 

 or around trees or stumps or when unusual care is not 

 taken to remove all fragments of roots, sprouts are 

 almost sure to develop. In lawns or gardens where a 

 careful watch can be kept, the problem is not so serious, 



1 Noel F. Thompson. Kill the Common Barberry with Chemicals, 

 U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Cir. 268, 4 p., 3 fig. March, 1923. 



