60 HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



to the uredo forms for a number of generations, its vitality 

 is much reduced, and also its power of injuring the crop. 

 So long as the teleuto spores do not make an appearance in 

 this country, the careful cultivator may feel assured that a 

 moderate amount of timely effort will enable him to rid his 

 establishment of the rust." 



From data contained in this circular, it appears that the 

 rust was most prevalent during the years 1897 and 1898, or, 

 in other words, during the first year or two of its outbreak. 

 At this time it became more generally distributed over the 

 State, and of course there was more infection as a whole. 

 It also affected the individual plants more severely during 

 the first outbreak than in the later ones. During the last 

 three years it has shown, as a whole, a marked tendency to 

 decrease in this State. There are, to be sure, individual 

 growers who report an increase ; but this increase is per- 

 haps due to their methods of cultivation, and not taking 

 sufficient care to propagate from clean stock. One-third of 

 the growers state that they never had the rust on their plants, 

 and were familiar with it only as they had seen it on other 

 stock, while others have only experienced a slight infection 

 one year. One florist who cultivates 40,000 plants, states 

 that he has not had the rust for three years, or since 1898, 

 and at that time he had it only to a very slight extent. 

 The amount of infection which has been prevalent varies 

 from .1 per cent, to 50 per cent., the latter figure being 

 exceptionally high, for very few have had even 25 per cent, 

 as a maximum amount of infection. The financial damage 

 to the crop is far less than the above, and in most instances 

 it amounts to nothing. The worst injury appears to be to 

 the gardeners' pride, inasmuch as a large percentage of the 

 plants are grown for competition in shows, and even a slight 

 blemish caused by two or three rust pustules on a single 

 leaf, is very annoying to skilful gardeners, who take 

 pride in exhibiting their plants. Most gardeners agree that 

 weak stock is the most susceptible to rust ; and if weak, 

 infected plants are allowed to remain in close proximity to 

 strong, healthy ones, they too will subsequently become in- 

 fected. The variety known as the Queen is singled out as 



