GRA.SSES OF IOWA. 189 



known as "lijer" which means sleepy or tired. It makes its 

 appearance on young plants. The second and third leaves are 

 usually green. On the fourth and subsequent leaves the disease 

 is easily recognized from a distance, as the plants are white or 

 yellowish white. Either the entire leaves are affected or it 

 forms bands. The young plants fall over. In the tissues of such 

 plants an abundance of an undivided mycelium occurs. It has 

 numerous haustoria or suckers which enable the mycelium to 

 take up its nourishment. On the surface of the leaf may be seen 

 a thick white mold, the fruiting threads of the fungus. These 

 make their way through the stomata and bear summer reproduc- 

 tive bodies which germinate in a few hours. Young infected 

 plants show these fruiting bodies in eight to twelve days. 



In addition to these reproductive bodies resting spores 

 known as oospores also occur abundantly, especially in the 

 stems and leaf sheaths. Natural infection results by the wind 

 which carries the spores, also from the oospores which may 

 retain their vitality for some time. The writer suggests that 

 the young diseased plants be pulled up with the root and 

 burned. It is not likely that this fungus has been found on 

 corn in this country. It maybe expected, however, somewhere 

 on this side of the Atlantic and may prove injurious.* 



ERGOT (CLAVICEPS PURPUREA (FR.) TUL). 



The subject of ergot is one of considerable importance to the 

 Iowa stockman. Scarcely a year ^passes but complaints are 

 received about the injurious effects to cattle from the use of 

 fodder that contains ergot. 



History. — It may not be out of place to briefly refer to the 

 history of ergotism. Epidemics of ergotism have, without 

 doubt, been correctly referred, even before the tenth century. 

 Wood states that epidemics of ergotism or chronic ergotic 

 poisoning have been recorded from time to time since the days 

 of Galen (130-200 A. D.) and of Caesar (B. C. 190-44). From 

 the ninth to the thirteenth century epidemics were frequent in 

 France, and in the twelfth in Spain. They were first called 

 plagues but later received special names. In 1596 Hesse and 

 adjoining provinces were visited by this plague which was 

 attributed to the presence of ergot in grain. In the epidemic 

 in Silesia in 1722, the king of Prussia ordered an exchange of 



*L. H. Pammel. Mildew of Indian Corn. American Agriculturist 61 : 708. 

 ♦Raclborskl Lljer, elne gefahrllche Malskrankheit. Ber. der Deutsh. Bot. Gesell. 

 15:475-478. 1897. 



