ginia, and New York again, and also from two localities in On- 

 tario, Canada. In New York it was rather common, having- 

 been collected in eight or more localities in different parts of the 

 state. 1908 has added Michigan to its list and Wisconsin has 

 reported it again. It is seemingly increasing in its distribution 

 and occurring in much greater abundance. 



This spread of a fungous disease on a crop of great importance 

 has caused some anxiety concerning its identity and nature. This 

 has led to some investigation concerning it. In the first place 

 the American and European forms are undoubtedly identical and 

 represent the same species. In the gross appearance of the sori 

 and in the microscopical details of both the summer spores 

 [iirediniospores) and winter spores [teliospores) the species is 

 indistinguishable from the black rust of cereals, Pucciiiia poadi- 

 forinis or Pucchna graminis, as it is better known. In 1894 

 Erikson and Henning separated the timothy rust as a distinct 

 species, Puccinia Phlei-pratensis,^ on the grounds that their arti- 

 ficial cultures showed that it probably does not form its aecial 

 stage on the barberry [Berberis). An examination of their 

 original report shows, however, that out of nine trials (five in 

 1892, and four in 1893) while eight gave negative results, one 

 gave a positive result showing pycnia in 16 days and developing 

 aecia in 16 days more. It is noted that the cups formed were 

 unusually small. During the present season eight unsuccessful 

 inoculations on barberry were observed by the writer. Several 

 seasons' experience with the cultures has shown that negative 

 results are not always to be relied on ; they may indicate lack of 

 proper conditions or that infection does not take place readily. 

 The one positive result mentioned ought, it seems, be accorded 

 more weight than all the negative ones together, and proves 

 that it does, even if with difficulty, form its aecial stage upon the 

 barberry. The conclusion is that the timothy rust may be con- 

 sidered a race of Puccinia poculifonnis, or a so-called physio- 

 logical species, differing from the typical from in having some- 

 what smaller aecial cups and in the somewhat smaller size of 



*Die Hauptresultateeiner neuen Untersuchungueberdie Getreideroste, II. Zeits. 

 f. Pflanzenkr. 4 : 140. 1894. 



