80 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



In the Barre area the growth was decidedly different from 

 that in the Hanover section. Wild gooseberries were very 

 numerous, especially throughout the woods, while along streams 

 and in swamps skunk and other wild currants were more 

 abundant. This area was a demonstration area and it was 

 intended to estimate the cost of eradication for different types 

 of growth and to determine the efficiency and effectiveness 

 of some selective methods of eradication. Two sections were 

 chosen to obtain data on selective Ribes eradication. The sec- 

 tions were first thoroughly scouted by gridironing them at inter- 

 vals of 500 feet. The crew traversed such areas as were desig- 

 nated by the scout as Ribes areas. Out of a total of 331 acres, 

 but 53 acres were designated as free from Ribes. On these 

 supposedly Ribes-free areas the crew found 686 plants, or 20 

 per cent of the Ribes on the entire tract, exclusive of skunk 

 currants. 



The results here showed that even with the most careful pre- 

 liminary scouting, mapping all areas, such as swamps, streams, 

 walls, etc., it would be a dangerous policy in the Barre section 

 to omit any extensive areas, calling them Ribes-free, at least 

 where pine is present in any great amount. It is quite possible, 

 however, that some selective system might be adopted whereby 

 the pine area formed a basis of selection, then establishing 

 around it a protective area. At least two scoutings and pos- 

 sibly three are necessary before most of this area can be called 

 free of Ribes. We were able to eradicate Ribes from 8,095 

 acres in this area at an average cost of 60 cents per acre, — 

 245,100 wild Ribes were removed of which 180,788 were skunk 

 currants. 



