340 ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



case in hand. This is a common experience, since far more is to be 

 expected from prevention than from attempts at cure. When 

 blight, mildew, rust and the like have once gotten a foothold 

 on plants, it is generally too late to save those particular plants, 

 but the knowledge gained in the examination of the case should 

 point out some way of preventing or avoiding future difficulty. 



A case of ergotism, similar to that recorded in your Report of 

 1902, Part 1, Page 160, was specially noteworthy. In a stable having 

 a number of horses, several of the animals became sick for no appar- 

 ent reason. When a veterinarian a^ as called in he pronounced the 

 disease ergotism, and suspicion at once pointed to the hay as the 

 cause. Samples of this hay sent to me were found to contain con-^ 

 siderable ergotted grains in the v:ed-top which made up the bulk 

 of the mass. The grains were quite small and on that account could 

 be easily overlooked. When rye, or any of the rye grasses are af- 

 fected the grains are one-half to two-thirds of an inch long, thickened, 

 also, and curved. These features, together with the black color, 

 make them quite conspicuous. The relatively small size and per- 

 haps small quantity of the ergot in this case led to but partial 

 poisoning and made possible the prevention of fatal effects. 



The work of the veterinarian and the work of the botanist may 

 thus join hand in hand for the remedying of sickness and the pre- 

 vention of injury to the life of our domestic animals. Such cases 

 of poisoning, apparently not very common in Pennsylvania, are very 

 frequent in some sections of the country, intensified, perhaps, by 

 the crude methods of feeding and caring for stock. It would, how- 

 ever, not be surprising any day to meet with cases of poisoning of 

 horses by feeding upon a poor quality of hay containing scouring 

 rushes or horse-tails or upon the leaves or seeds of certain plants, 

 when they are taken just at that degree of drying which has de- 

 veloped the poisonous hydrocyanic acid. Such cases have been 

 known, but fortunately, are not very common. 



In conclusion, I wish to repeat that the Botanical Department of 

 the State College wdll be glad to continue to examine and make re- 

 port upon the various matters concerning plants which our con- 

 stituents may care to send us. 



The CHAIRMAN: Dr. Funk is next on the program; is he In the 

 room? 



It appeared that Dr. Funk was not present at the time. 



The CHAIRMAN: Since the Doctor is not present, we will take 

 the next number. Report of the Committee on Fruit and Fruit 

 Culture, by Mr. J. F. Boyer, Chairman; is he here? 



Mr. Boyer was reported as not being present. 



The CHAIRMAN: Is Dr. Tower, Chairman of the Committee on 

 Livestock here? If he is, we will listen to his report, that being the 

 next on the program. 



Dr. Tower, being present, read his report, as follows: 



