Rust is with us to stay. Southern hybridizers should not spray their seedlings for rust and select only rust free cultivars. I applaud John Peat for using this method and introducing 4 rust free cultivars for 2008. Who wants to spray daylilies more than roses when the rust can be bred out? And will the AHS continue to lose members if new members buy expensive plants only to find out later they are rust prone and shrivel and/or die. You can't count on county or state agricultural services to print a useable rust free list. They deal only with older out of date cultivars. Why does AHS not add a rust page to  all its "sections" and have someone similiar to the registrar (a rust registrar) rate an average rust score for all to see. Or if the current registration list could be amended with a rust rating section that would be great. And it is advisable for Northern hybridizers to breed with known rust free stock. Ship perfectly healthy plants south with poor rust resistance and what happens? We don't need a better way to spray for rust or new chemicals, we need better breeding.

Mike Barwick