222 ILLINOIS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



sissippi near Hamilton in which large numbers of bar- 

 berry are growing wild. 



On November 22nd, one of our men visited Kankakee. 

 His first letter reports rumors of a place where "there 

 are millions growing wild!" and when his report came 

 in for properties on which they actually occurred, he was 

 able to show at least six properties and, at the most con- 

 servative estimate possible, 250 bushes. This was merely 

 incidental to working the town of Kankakee. 



Probably the most interesting area in which barberry 

 has escaped from cultivation is in KJnox county. The 

 town of Henderson, a small village of about 160 inhabi- 

 tants, was first settled in 1825. A few hedges were 

 planted in the town by the early settlers, and those hedges 

 up to the present year, were still in existence. Our field 

 man, who at that time had established temporary head- 

 quarters in Galesburg, writes as follows: "When I 

 went out there (Henderson) yesterday, I had the idea 

 that one hours work would be sufficient, but found that 

 it took two days. I found about 1,200 bushes altogether. 

 The whole township is "infested" with barberries; and 

 the bushes are large and growing wild. Mr. W. has tim- 

 berland of 200 acres and the bushes are scattered all over 

 it. Messrs. W., M., P., C, and P., also have a consider- 

 able amount. It seems that the "Avild" bushes have been 

 propagated from seed from the original hedges." 



One instance of particular interest has come to our 

 attention during the past summer as showing how the 

 barberry may be of importance in the spread of rust to 

 grains other than wheat. 



Pnccinia graninis avenae is the biological form on 

 oats, tritici for rust on wheat. On a farm belonging to J. 

 H. near Minooka, Illinois there was a rusted hedge of the 

 common barberry approximately two hundred yards long 

 containing about 600 bushes. The accompanying sketch, 

 reproduced as clearly as possible from a field drawing, 

 represents the relative positions of the several fields with 

 respect to the barberry. The winter wheat directly east 

 of the barberry was well protected by the intervening 

 orchard. This fact, together with the earlier develop- 



