86 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [P. D. 4. 



could be found. They were again inspected eight weeks later, 

 and several trees were found badly infected with the disease. 

 This indicates that the disease develops very rapidly in the 

 bark during the summer preceding the spring when it will 

 fruit, and that by inspecting pines in the fall, which is practical 

 with trained men, and removing the swollen, diseased parts, 

 the spreading of millions of spores to the currants and goose- 

 berries in the spring will thereby be prevented. Therefore all 

 the infected plantations located outside the generally infected 

 areas, and some of the plantings and estates having diseased 

 trees within these areas, were reinspected. Fifteen estates and 

 plantings were re-examined in this way, and on 13 of these 

 2,989 diseased trees and parts of trees were destroyed. Where 

 not previously done, the country surrounding these diseased 

 plantings was thoroughly covered for a radius of 2 miles, and 

 all wild Ribes found were pulled up. 



The following is a list of different kinds of Ribes, arranged in 

 their order of susceptibility, as determined from field observa- 

 tions during the year : — 



Cultivated black currant. 



Common wild gooseberry. 



Cultivated red currant ] 



Wild black currant [ About equally susceptible. 



Wild red currant J 



Flowering currant. 



Cultivated gooseberries. 



Data obtained on white currants insufficient to enable classification. 



The rust appeared on black currants many miles from other 

 diseased Ribes and from any known pine infections. It is 

 difficult to account for this unless we admit that the wind will 

 carry the spores long distances, or that pine infection exists 

 near by which has not been found. 



The disease appears to work much faster upon the pines in 

 the coastal region than in the Berkshires, although the ultimate 

 effect upon them is the same. Rapid spread o^ the disease has 

 been observed through thinly settled country, mixed woods, 

 low lands and valleys, due, in part at least, to the unusual 

 abundance of wild and cultivated Ribes. The rust seems to 



