ASCOMYCETES—EUASCI— ERGOT 279 



Death ensues from general exhaustion. In the spasmodic form are seen tonic contraction 

 of the flexor tendons of the limbs and anaesthesia of the extremities; muscular trembling 

 and general tetanic spasm, with opisthotonos, convulsions and delirium. Death also occurs 

 from asthenia. 



Griinfeld fed various animals with sphacelic acid in food. In the cocks, 

 gangrene soon appeared affecting the comb; next the wattles, tongue linings, 

 and crop. In hogs, the ears became gangrenous and fell off. Horses and cows 

 fed upon grains containing ergot lose their hoofs, ears, and tails. The cor- 

 nutin, according to Kobert, acts through the nerve centers. Microscopic exam- 

 ination of the abdominal and thoracic regions shows a toxic polyneuritis. 



Dr. McNeil in describing the disease says : 



Ergot stimulates the nerve centers that cause the contraction of the small blood vessels 

 supplying the different parts of the body and cause one of the two forms of ergotism, 

 namely, a nervous form, and a gangrenous form. 



Nervous Ergotism: In this form the contraction of the blood vessels of the brain 

 produces dullness and depression. The animal also suffers from gastro-intestinal catarrh, 

 refuses food, and gradually passes into a condition of general wasting. The nervous form, 

 however, may assume an entirely different aspect and the animal dies suddenly in delirium 

 or spasms, or gradually from paralysis. 



Gangrenous Ergotism: In this common form the checking of the blood, resulting from 

 the contraction of the small blood vessels, causes a loss of a part or of all the limb below 

 the knee or hock, the tail, or the ears. This form of the disease may manifest itself 

 by the formation of ulcers at the top of the hoof or between the toes, and a toe may be lost 

 or the entire hoof shed. The affected part dries, a small furrow or line of separation 

 appears, completely surrounding the limb, dividing the living from the dead mummified 

 tissue. 



DOTHIDEALES 



Perithecia reduced, asci arising from the stroma and not separable from it, 

 stroma present, not fleshy; black or dark colored ostiolum present. 



DOTHIDEACEAE 



Stroma pulvinate, elongated, black or nearly black, coriaceous; perithecia 

 inseparable from the stroma, asci 4-8 spored; hyaline, yellowish or brown. 



Phyllachora, Nitschke. 



Stroma variable, elliptical, oblong or lanceolate, covered by the epidermis, 

 black, roughened, ascospores ovate, elliptical, or oblong, mostly hyaline. About 

 200 species. 



Phyllachora Trifolii, (Pers.) Fckl. 



Stroma on the lower surface of the leaf, gregarious, collected in small, 

 elongated groups extending along the nerves of the leaf, black, subglobose, 

 prominent, often confluent; ascospores elliptical, hyahne, continuous, 10-20 /* 

 In the early part of the season small whitish or pale brown spots appear on 

 the leaf, which contains the mycelium of the fungus. Dr. Trelease says : 



This fruits on the lower surface, producing numerous tufts of necklace-shaped threads, 

 each of which ends in a 2-celled, egg-shaped conidia-spore. These tufts of threads, which, 

 like the spores, are^of a deep brown color, are packed so closely together as to completely 

 cover the spots, though under a hand lens they can be distinguished as separate panules. 

 To the naked eye they appear dead-black. Later in the season similar spots are occupied 

 by small, coal-black fruits that contain stylospores. Winter spores, produced in asci, are 

 not known. The conidial form of this fungus is especially common on white clover, though 

 both forms are at times found abundantly on red clover and other species. 



The Polythrincinim is common on red clover and is one of the numerous 

 species which may be injurious to cattle. 



