62 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



Attention was first called to the asparagus rust in the fall 

 of 1896. During 1897, although an extremely wet season, 

 the damage by the rust was severe. Its occurrence during 

 this season, however, was merely an after-effect, the primary 

 cause being due to the injury caused by the preceding dry 

 seasons. In 1898 the summer stage of the rust was scarcely 

 perceptible ; while in 1899 (the past season) the rust was 

 severe, on account of the want of soil moisture.* The fall 

 stage of the rust (black or teleuto spore stage), which is, 

 according to our estimation, a harmless stage, and not worth 

 paying much attention to, has been universally distributed 

 over the State since 1896. There has, however, been some 

 tendency for it to become less common during the last two 

 years. This stage usually occurs during September and 

 October, about the time when the asparagus plants first 

 commence to lose their green color and turn yellow, the 

 appearance of this stage being associated with the disinte- 

 gration and death of the plant. The summer stage of the 

 rust (red or uredo stage), which is in every instance an in- 

 jurious stage, occurs during July and August. It occurs 

 about July 11, or later, on beds from which a crop has been 

 marketed, and spreads very rapidly with the wind, as is 

 evident by those sides of the asparagus plant being first in- 

 fected which correspond with the prevailing direction of the 

 wind. We have no data as to any earlier appearance of the 

 rust on young plants which have not been cut for the mar- 

 ket, and it would not be at all improbable that they become 

 infected earlier than July 11. The summer stage of the 

 rust, however, is limited in its distribution in Massachusetts, 

 and is found only on those soils which are sandy, and pos- 

 sess little water-retaining properties. The sand increases 

 as we approach the sea-coast, and the soils which support 

 asparagus plants affected with the red rust are found with 

 some local exceptions in the eastern part of the State. 



The summer stage of the rust has never been observed by 

 us, nor has it been reported (with one exception, which we 

 will refer to later, and which is local) any further west than 

 the towns of Berlin and Northborough, which are east of the 



* The amount of rainfall from April 1 to September 1 in 1899, at Amherst, was 

 14.09 inches; that for the same period in 1898 was 23.97 inches. 



