1900.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 61 



of growing plants, wc will state that, while there is no doul)t 

 as to the beneficial results obtained by sterilizing the same 

 soil for two or three crops, it does not necessarily follow 

 that soil will repeatedly stand this treatment and give good 

 crops. 



Within the last year sterilized soil has been recommended 

 for home culture pur|)oses, and those who use it claim to 

 have obtained superior results. 



The Eelationship existing BET>yEEN THE Asparagus Rust 

 AND THE Physical Properties of the Soil. 



The past season has been most favorable to the outbreak 

 of the asparagus rust, which has manifested itself in a severe 

 manner in the same localities where it has occurred duringf 

 the last few years. The unusually dry spring enabled us to 

 predict to asparagus growers the probable occurrence of the 

 rust for last summer ; and, as the rust has usually shown 

 itself the season following an outbreak, regardless of the 

 weather conditions, we may expect to encounter the same 

 next summer (1900), at least in those beds which were 

 badly affected and weakened from the attacks of 1899. We 

 have endeavored to point out in Bulletin 61, issued from 

 this station, the relationship existing between dry seasons 

 and the occurrence of the summer or injurious stage of the 

 rust, and also the susceptibility of plants growing in locali- 

 ties possessing soil with little water-retaining [)roperties. 

 Our observations and experiments during the past season 

 have not led us to reverse any of the conclusions set forth 

 in this bulletin, but, on the other hand, we are more strongly 

 convinced of their validity. These conclusions are based 

 upon an extensive study of the localities atl'ected, and the 

 object of the present article is to call attention to additional 

 data relating to the distribution of the rust in ]\[a;isachusetts, 

 and the relationship existing between the outbreak of the 

 rust and the rainfall, together with the physical properties 

 of the soil. For the past three seasons we have paid atten- 

 tion to the distribution of the rust in Massachusetts, although 

 the regions infected during the past summer ( 1.S99) scarcely 

 differ from those infected during previous years. 



