THE COMMON BAHBERRY hush has been known 

 lo iiKiii loi' mort' lh;in 2,(KK) ycai's. For years 

 HKii looked upon the eonmion barberry as a friend, 

 but to-day it is known to be an enemy. 



It starts and spreads the enormously destruelive 

 black stem rust ol" wheat, oats, barley, rye, and many 

 grasses. 



Every year black stem rust destroys millions of 

 bushels of wheat, oats, barley, and rye. Some years 

 this disease is so severe that some crops are not 

 worth harvesting. 



When the crops aie rusted there is less feed for 

 our animals, less wheat for niinini?, and less bread 

 for us all. 



Stem rust starts each spring as tiny, yellowish 

 spots on the leaves of the common barberry. Each 

 of these spots produces thousands of spores, which 

 are carried by the winds to the grain plants and 

 start the rust on them. The rust takes the food 

 from the grain plants, making them weak and sick 

 :\nd unable to produce big, plump kernels. 



In 1018 the United Stales Department of Agricul- 

 ture, in cooperation with the 13 States of Colorado, 

 Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mon- 

 tana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, 

 AVisconsin, and Wyoming, began a campaign to 

 destroy every common barberi-y bush in these States. 

 Millions of bushes have been found and killed, but 

 millions still remain to spread destruction to the 

 grain crops. 



Because these bushes are dilTicult to find, and 

 because boys and girls have such keen eyes and 

 love lo roam through fields and woods and along 

 streams where barberries may be growing, the 

 United Stales Department of Agriculture is asking 

 every boy and girl to help in this great fight against 

 Ihe common barberry. 



WaahinKton, D. C. Januar>', 1928 



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