i8 



Seed more than one year old germinates poorly, but 

 Old Seed. the plants are not any more nor less liable to the 



disease. 

 Storage of It has been suggested that the temperature at which 

 Seed. the seed is kept over winter might influence the 



vitality of the plants. To test this, home-grown 

 seed was kept over winter in the following situations: lot i, at an 

 ordinary living temperature, lot 2, in a cool attic, and lot 3 in a shed 

 at practically out-of-door temperature. Along with these lots was 

 also planted some seed gathered on March 19 from old plants which 

 had stood out all winter. No difference appeared in the resulting 

 plants. All were more or less diseased. 



The idea is sometimes expressed that transplanting 

 Effects of is instrumental in bringing on this disease and that 

 Transplanting, plants grown direct from seed without being dis- 

 turbed do not show it. The last point has been 

 clearly disj^roven in numerous instances by the appearance of the 

 yellow blight in beds of asters which had never been transplanted or 

 disturbed. To test the matter more definitely three beds were pre- 

 pared in the fall of 1899 by digging up turf land and working in, a 



liberal dressing of barnyard manure. No. 1 was 

 Fall Planting, planted on Nov. 3d with aster seed in .hills g in. 



apart, 8 or 10 seeds in a hill. On April 2 1 of the 

 following year the young plants began to appear and all the hills 

 came up well. Bed No. 2 was planted in a similar manner on April 

 28. Germination was prompt and good. Bed No. 3 was set out 

 with plants in the ordinary manner early in July. As the plants in 

 I and 2 grew larger they were gradually thinned until one remained 

 in each hill. In rapidity of growth and general appearance of vigor 

 bed No. I, planted the previous fall, showed the best lot of plants 

 which we have ever grown. They were of the Semple variety and 

 grew up tall, stout and bushy. Bed No. 2 was quite as good, 

 but somewhat later. Despite this vigorous growth, the yellow 

 disease in beds No. i and 2 was much the worst on the place. 

 Nearly 50 per cent of all the plants became badly affected. Bed No. 

 3 was nearly as bad. Plainly, therefore, this method cannot be 

 recommended for preventing the disease. Still it is not believed 

 that this style of planting would in general tend to increase the 

 amount of yellow blight, and the extreme vigor of the plants in other 



