424 Report of the Mycologist of the 



to have made any better growth than unsprayed plants of the 

 same variety standing beside them. This experiment was made 

 in 1895. In 1896 it was repeated, but no rust appeared on any 

 of the plants, not even on the unsprayed ones^ so that this 

 season's experiments gave no additional evidence as to the value 

 of salt spray as a preventive of rust; but it was again observed 

 that the sprayed plants made no better growth than the un- 

 sprayed ones. 



In addition to the spraying experiment in 1896, another experi- 

 ment was made to determine the effect of adding salt to the soil 

 in which carnations are grown. On May 18, 1896, 50 rooted 

 cuttings, of the variety Uncle John, were potted in six-inch 

 pots which were sunk in the soil out of doors. They were 

 divided into five lots of ten plants each and treated, at intervals 

 of about two weeks, with different quantities of a two and one- 

 half per cent salt solution as follows: 



Lot I. 10 c. c. salt solution, or 0.25 gram of salt per plant; 

 Lot II. 40 c. c. salt solution, or 1 gram of salt per plant; 

 Lot III. SO c. c. salt solution, or 2 grams of salt per plant; 

 Lot IV. 200 c. c. salt solution, or 5 grams of salt per plant; 

 Lot V. Check. Not treated. 



The salt solution was poured upon the surface of the soil in 

 the pot around the base of the plant and allowed to soak down. 

 The dates of application were as follows: June 2, 16, 30, July 

 14, 29, August 24, September 9 and 26. 



As in the spraying experiment of the same season, no rust 

 appeared. At the conclusion of the experiment the plants were 

 exaimined by an expert carnationist who did not know how the 

 different lots had been treated and hence could not possibly have 

 been prejudiced. He decided that the plants in Lot V had made 

 considerably the best growth; that Lots I and II were about 

 equal and second best; while Lots III and IV were about equal 

 and poorest. It was very evident that the salted plants had 

 made a less vigorous growth. 



In 1897 the experiment was repeated. As before, the plants 

 were of the variety Uncle John, potted on May 18 in six-inch 

 pots which were sunk in the soil out of doors; there were ten 



