ERADICATING THE COMMON BARBERRY 43 
It is evident that sodium chloride and kerosene are the most 
generally satisfactory in this group. Salt is somewhat cheaper than 
kerosene, and as its action is much more rapid it is the first choice. 
Kerosene is second. Sodium dichromate would appear to be third; 
however, it took so long to determine the most effective method of 
using this substance that sufficient field trials were not made. There- 
forej sodium-arsenite solution is placed third in the list. The writers 
are in doubt as to the order in which the remaining chemicals should 
be placed. 
GENERAL SUMMARY 
The common barberry (Berberis vulgaris L.) is an introduced 
ornamental shrub occurring extensively throughout a large part of 
the eastern and north-central United States. The bush grows 
readily from seed; having escaped from cultivation, it becomes 
established in pasture lands, in open wood lots, and along fence 
rows. 
The seeds are distributed chiefly by birds and by browsing cattle. 
The bush develops a crown which gives off horizontal rhizomes, 
numerous large, mostly horizontal roots, and a mass of fine fibrous 
roots. Small fragments of either the horizontal roots or rhizomes 
may grow and produce sprouts. 
In the course of the barberry-eradication campaign it was 
discovered that the results of grubbing were not altogether satis- 
factory, that many sprouts appeared from dug bushes, necessitating 
inspection a second and third time, and that there were large areas 
of escaped bushes in situations where digging was difficult and where 
reinspection was expensive. As a result of these developments, a 
study of methods of destroying the barberry was initiated. 
The following mechanical methods have been employed in 
eradicating barberry bushes: Grubbing, burning, cutting off at 
ground line, and grazing. 
These methods have included the use of the grub hoe, of teams and 
tractors, and of dynamite. The method selected depends upon the 
number of bushes to be destroyed, the size of the bushes, the type of 
soil, the season, and the means available. In any case it is essential 
that all roots be removed from the soil. 
All grubbed bushes should be burned, in order to prevent the pos- 
sibility of their taking root and growing again where they were 
left, and also to destroy any seeds on the bushes. 
The cost of grubbing barberries varies widely. 
The barberry can not be eradicated by occasionally cutting it down 
to the ground. 
Grazing by animals apparently does not prevent the growth of the 
barberry. The plants can not be destroyed by cutting them down 
and burning the tops, with or without straw, on the crown. 
A satisfactory chemical for use in eradicating the common bar- 
berry must be (1) effective, (2) readily available, (3) cheaper than 
equally effective grubbing-, (4) easy to handle, and (5) of little or 
no danger to those handling it, to persons or animals having access 
to it, and to useful vegetation or to soil. 
The experiments with chemicals included trials on small potted 
barberries in the greenhouse and field treatments. The latter were 
