89 



museums and botanic gardens offer much to compensate for 

 the lack of things that surround the country pupils. 

 New York City. 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE CLUB 

 Meeting of April 25, 1923 



The meeting of the above date was held in the Museum of the 

 New York Botanical Garden. 



The following were elected to membership: 



John M. G. Emery, Garden City, N. Y. 



Prof. Will S. Monroe, Montclair, N. J. 



Rafael A. Toro, Insular Experiment Station, Rio Piedras, 

 Porto Rico. 



The first paper on the scientific program was by Mr. J. A. 

 Paris on "The Black Stem Rust of Wheat and the Common 

 Barberry in the United States." An abstract by the speaker 

 follows: 



The increasing losses during recent years due to the black stem 

 rust {Puccinia graminis) of small grains throughout the north 

 central grain-growing states led the United States Department 

 of Agriculture to make a survey to determine the presence of 

 the common barberry throughout this region. Studies were also 

 made to determine what part the barberry was taking in the 

 spread of stem rust to the wild grasses and neighboring grain 

 fields. 



This preliminary survey revealed the wide-spread occurrence 

 of barberry throughout the entire region and bushes were found 

 to be rusted in April and May. The rust spread from the 

 infected bushes directly to the wild quack grasses, wild barley, 

 etc., and to neighboring grainfields several weeks before rust 

 appeared upon grainfields considerable distances from infected 

 barberry. 



In order to prevent this early spread of the rust and to elim- 

 inate several million centres of infection, a campaign to eradicate 

 species of Berheris and Mahonia susceptible to the stem rust 

 was begun in 191 8. This campaign is now being vigorously 

 carried on by both the United States Department of Agriculture 

 and the individual states in the eradication area. All the states 

 have passed laws requiring the eradication of these barberry 

 bushes. 



