CtASS III. ORDER H.] LOIIUM. , 163 



Habitat. — Fields, meadows, and waste places ; very common. 



Perennial ; flowering in June and July. 



This common species of grass, known by the name of Rye- or Ray- 

 grass, appears to have been cultivated since the year 1677 ; and much 

 has been said in its praise as a grass of great agricultii^al utility. Its 

 natural habit is to produce an abundance of seed ; it arrives at perfec- 

 tion early in the season, and produces a good supply of herbage the 

 first year of its growth. It is a favourite food with most cattle, and 

 hence its value as a grass for the alternate husbandry, especially when 

 combined with a portion of Cock's-foot (Dactylis glomerata), Timothy 

 ( Phleum pratensis ) , Meadow Fescue ( Festuca pratensis), anA Mea- 

 dow Foxtail grasses. By this mixture an early crop of grass is pro- 

 cured, and the after-math very superior: but when Rye-grass is culti- 

 vated alone, it is found that the after-math is very small, and rendered 

 coarse by its numerous flowering stems, which are mostly rejected by 

 cattle. Although this is a perennial plant, it is said seldom to continue 

 more than six years ; but the abundance of seed which it bears, 

 falling among the root-leaves, produces new plants, with a plentiful 

 succession of herbage. 



This grass, in common with many other of the fodder-grassesf, 

 as well as Wheat, Oats, Barley, and Maize, among the Cereal, but 

 especially Rye, are liable to the attacks of a peculiar Fungus, Sjjermo- 

 e'dia Cla'vus, commonly called Sec'ale cornu'tum, — ergot, horned, or 

 spurred grain, (Fig. 215. as seen upon the spikelets of Lolium perenne, 

 with one of the spurs separated and drawn the natural size.) This 

 Fungus is much less frequent in this country than in France, and is 

 remarkable, not only, like the uredo (p. 159), in depriving the grain of 

 its nutritive matter, but is itself an inj urious, or even poisonous substance. 

 Like many other poisonous substances, however, ergot, when properly 

 administered, is found of the greatest utility as a medicine, and is now 

 admitted into the materia medica of this and other countries. It is 

 singular that this production, when occurring in great abundance on 

 the ears of corn, especially Rye, as it does in wet situations or seasons, 

 where that grain is extensively cultivated, as on the Continent, where 

 it composes the whole or a considerable part of their bread, by its con- 

 tinued use, tends to produce that most extraordinary malady, the dry 

 gangrene, one of the most fearful and distressing diseases to which the 

 human race is heir to, and which has often prevailed epidemically in 

 different parts of the Continent. It commences its attack with greater 

 or less severity, either with severe convulsions or with general weakness, 

 weariness, and a feeling as of insects creeping over the skin : when 

 these symptoms have continued some time, the extremities become 



f Phalaris canariensis, Thhum pratensis, Alopecuris pratensis, Agrcsiis alba, 

 Aira cristata, Poa fiuitans, Festuea duruiscula, Arundo arenaria, Elynms are- 

 narius, Triticum Junceum and repens, Hokns lanaius, Arrhenatlierum avena-' 



