192 GRASSES OF IOWA. 



sound rye for the affected grain. Freiburg was visited in 1702, 

 Switzerland in 1715-16, Saxony in 1716, and other districts of 

 Germany in 1717, 1736, 1741-42. France was visited in 1650, 

 1670 and 1674. From 1765 to 1769 it was abundant in Sweden 

 in rye and barley. Linnaeus attributed it to the grain of 

 Raphanus raphanistrian, which was incorrect. The last great 

 epidemic in Europe occurred in France in 1816, in Lorraine and 

 Burgundy; it was especially fatal to the poorer inhabitants. 



It has been observed that these epidemics follow a rainy 

 season. Fleming states that in 1041, when the weather was so 

 unpropitious, tempests, rains, and inundations occurring, many 

 cattle perished from the disease. "In 1098, after inundations 

 and heavy fogs, there was a general epizooty among cattle in 

 Germany. In the same year ergotism appeared in the human 

 species. " 



History in America. — Dr. Randall, in 1849, called attention 

 to a disease in New York, in which the involved parts were 

 finally invariably affected with dry gangrene. He states that 

 in the severe climate of New York farmers allow their cattle 

 to winter in the fields on blue grass {Poa pratensis) which is rich 

 in ergot. A disease known as "hoof -ail" was correctly 

 ascribed to ergot by James Mease, of Philadelphia, prior to 

 1838. The disease was quite severe in Orange county, New 

 York, in 1820. It was minutely described by Arnell. In 1857 

 the disease was quite severe in Portage county, -Ohio. A com- 

 mittee appointed by the Farmers' Association of Edinburg 

 reported that the disease was due to ergot in hay. In recent 

 years* epizootics of ergotism have been reported by Law in 

 New York, Stalker in Iowa, and Faville in Colorado. The 

 most serious outbreak in recent years occurred in Kansas in 

 1884. This caused considerable excitement since at first it was 

 diagnosed as "foot-and-mouth disease. " Salmon, who examined 

 some of the hay from several localities in Kansas, found a large 

 proportion of wild rye {Elymus virginicus, var. submuticus) to 

 contain a large quantity of ergot. In one case 12 per cent, and 

 in another 10 per cent was found. From this he estimated that 

 from 5 to 6 per cent of the entire weight of the plant must have 

 been ergot and that a twenty-pound ration of hay would con- 

 tain four ounces of ergot. 



•See Salmon on Contagious Diseases of Domestic Animals. 1883-1884: Where an 

 extended history Is Klven, and Fleming Animal Plagues, their history, nature and 

 prevention. 1; 1871. 2: 1882. 



