ERADICATING THE COMMON BARBERRY 7 
have taken root and continued to grow after being grubbed or pulled 
out. If they had been piled and burned there would have been no 
danger from this source. Many seedlings frequently develop where 
mature bushes have been dug. To reduce this source of new bushes 
the burning of the tops of the old ones Avhich are bearing fruit is 
the easiest method. 
The number of men that can be used for any particular job most 
economically will vary considerably. Since chemical means of eradi- 
cation have been developed most of the barberries that are dug occur 
singly or in relatively small numbers. For this work usually nothing 
is gained by employing more than two men. In many of the cases 
encountered one man alone is able to remove the bush quickly and 
satisfactorily. However, as it is the policy of the barberry-eradica- 
tion forces to have two men travel together in locating the barberries, 
and as these men usually eradicate the bushes if possible as soon as 
they are found, the minimum number usually employed on a par- 
ticular job is two. 
Before the introduction of chemicals escaped barberries were 
-eradicated from several large areas by digging. A number of con- 
siderations influenced the size of the crew employed in these cases.' 
When a team or a tractor was used to pull the bushes it was found 
desirable to have a sufficient number of men grubbing the roots so 
that the team or the tractor was never far ahead of the grubbers. 
If this balance was not maintained either the grubbers had to wait 
occasionally for the team or some of the bushes pulled by the team 
were missed by the men following behind. The number of men 
necessary to maintain this ratio was found to vary from about 5 
grubbers to each team in situations where the bushes were large 
and difficult to pull and where the digging was fairly easy to about 
10 men to each team in places where the bushes pulled easily. 
Still another factor determines what size of crew is most eco- 
nomical. In some areas of escaped barberries most of the bushes are 
very small and are scattered over an area of considerable size in 
which trees and other shrubs are growing. In areas of this kind 
the actual eradication of a bush may be less difficult than finding it. 
If one man attempts to cover such an area systematically, he usually 
will spend so much time keeping himself located that he will have 
relatively little time to find and eradicate the bushes, or else he will 
wander around destroying such barberries as he notices, but with 
the certainty that he will miss many. 
Where several men are employed in such a situation they can be 
formed in a line with intervals varying from a few feet to several 
rods between men and in this formation work across the area. In 
such formation only the end men are required to attend to their 
locations in the area. All the others merely keep their places in 
the line. A crew of 5 or 6 men probably is as small as can operate 
satisfactorily in this manner, and one of 10 or 12 is more efficient. 
With large crews it is advantageous to have one man follow behind 
the line to check up on the work of the others and assist where 
necessary. In this formation, as has been said, only the end men in 
the line are responsible for the direction of the march. In crossing 
the area in one direction the man on one end will follow a predeter- 
mined line, while the other end man blazes a new line. 
