LESS IMPOKTANT SPECIES. Ill 



POISONOUS PLANTS OF LESS IMPORTANCE. 

 ERGOT. 



{Claviceps purpurea (Fr.) Tul.) 



Ergot is a parasitic fungus frequently occurring in Montana on a 

 variety of grasses, among which the following may be mentioned: 

 Four species of wild vyo, grass (Elj-mus), three species of meadow 

 grass (Poa), six species of couch grass (Agropj-ron), prairie June 

 grass {Koeleria crlHtata (L.) Pers.), and reed canary grass {Phalaris 

 arundinacea L.). Ergot most frequently infests wild rye grass {Ely- 

 mus cotidensatus Presl) and bluejoint {^Agropyron spicatum (Pursh) 

 Scribn. & Sm.). The form in which ergot is commonly seen is that of 

 a black, straight or slightly-curved spur from one-fourth to one-half 

 inch in length in the fruiting head of the infested grass. (PI. XVI). 

 Ergot is found throughout the State, wherever wild rj^e grass or blue- 

 joint grows. There are extensive native meadows of bluejoint in the 

 State which are annually cut for ha3\ Bluejoint hay is known to be 

 highly nutritious and is greatly valued bj^ stockmen, some of whom 

 consider it better than alfalfa, clover, or timoth3\ Wild rye grass 

 grows very abundantly in some locations, but it is not so extensively 

 cut for ha}' as the bluejoint. As is well known, the wild rye grass 

 has a habit of growing in large bunches, and seldom covers the ground 

 completely. The ground where it grows is, therefore, rendered some- 

 what uneven, and the difficulties of cutting the grass increased. Some 

 3^ears the wild rye grass is much worse infested than other years. 

 During such seasons the black spurs of ergot are a conspicuous feature 

 of the heads of this grass. In ordinar}' seasons the ergot spurs are 

 f uU}^ formed by the middle of August and remain in the heads of the 

 infested grass until late in autumn. 



Several cases of ergot poisoning came to our notice. In one of 

 them a horse, while being driven from Helena to Bozeman, was fed 

 on the first night of the trip with wild rye grass haj^ which was badly 

 infested with ergot. On the following day the left hind leg appeared 

 somewhat stiff and moist with cold sweat. During the second day the 

 leg became badl}' swollen and gangrene of all the tissues became ap- 

 parent. The skin of the leg and a considerable portion of the muscular 

 tissues were sloughed off before the death of the animal, which took 

 place on the third da}-. Cases of the ordinary, slow -acting ergotism 

 were observed in both cattle and horses. During the season of 1898 

 one of us had opportunity of observing several cases of what was 

 apparently' another form of ergotism in horses. The animals had 

 eaten considerable quantities of ergot in bluejoint and wild rj^e grass 

 hay. The S3'mptoms, which will presentl}' be described, were mani- 

 fested within twenty-four hours after eating the ergotized hay, and it 



