AGRICULTl'lUL APPItoriUATIOX BILL, 1024. 189 



exist, tlie fanners art' wry anxious to rooiu'rafr in tJirir <>wi» way 

 and to (1») everything tlu'V can to remove tneni 



There has l>een, and is yet to a limited cxtmt, i ln-ljeve, ij^nurance 

 on the part of some of our peoph* as to the identi(i<alion of this Imsh, 

 but much of that has hccn removeii <lurin|; th»' ^)a.st >umm»T hy the 

 advertisements an<l puhUcity that have been j^iven in the manner 

 8tat«'d 1)V Mr. FuMer. There is a very hearty cooperation on the 

 part of tfu' farmers in the neighborhood, on the incbvidual farms, and 

 on vacant lots and other phices where th»)se bushes liave esejn>ed. 

 The Minnt^sota Farm liiin'au FeiU'ration, having; unit organizations 

 in SO counties, has mad«' arrnii^cmcnts tlirou«^h its town units to have 

 these bushes exhibited, or samphs of lliem exhiliited. and to urtje 

 their era(bcation. Seventy-three counties luive l)een su^^•eyed in the 

 State now. That lias been done during the past five years thr<»uj^h 

 the appropriations from the Federal (lovermnent an<l appropriations 

 from tiie State, and there has been some re>earch work done. We 

 think that by the end of the coming year, with such an appntpriation 

 as we are asking for ami such as I think could be economicallv cx- 

 pendeti, the State will have been gone over once, and pndjablv all 

 the olil plantings will have been removed. 



No doubt there are some escaped bushes, and there are sprouts 

 from bushes that have been removed, and it might be necessary to 

 go over them again. AVt' have in our .State a State weed inspector, 

 and tlie counties have weed inspectors. It is a part of their duty to 

 see that these bushes are taken out. Some of them work under the 

 commissioner of agriculture of the State, and they are given specific 

 instructions to see that those bushes are removed; that is, either to 

 remove them themselves, or to see that the owners of the places 

 where they are found remove them. As I have said, on the part of 

 the farmei"s there is a very active cooperation, but there is a little 

 different feeling in the villages and towns. That refers particularly 

 to plantings in towns and villages where the property is occupied by 

 tenants. They do not care to do this, but the law of our State makes 

 the allowing of barberry bushes to grow on any property illegal. 

 I believe that the State of Minnesota can be lookcu alter after the 

 coming year without any Federal appropriation. I am sure in my 

 own mind, from my ow^n observation, that more has been done during 

 the past vear to clean up the State of Minnesota tlian during the f(mr 

 3'ears before in which the Federal Government was ijiving assistance. 



I believe that with the cooperation of the Federal Goverrmient, as 

 it has been extended during the past year, and with the correlation 

 of the State efforts, we can tlo more in one year than we could prob- 

 ably do in three or four years with a lessened appiopriation. Our 

 people have found that this is not only necessary tor the State, but 

 that it is necessary for the increased food production of the whole 

 country. We are in a very important spring wheat growing area, 

 and it is an important area in thi' production of other grains. I 

 believe that it is essential to our agriculture not only to those 

 engaged in farming, but those engaigetl in handling agricultural 

 products in the way of milling it. etc., that this bt> done. We hope 

 that Congress will see fit to make this appropriation in the sum 

 asked for bv the representatives of the 13 Static that formed this 

 Conference for the Prevention of Grain Rust. 



