THE WHEAT CULTUKIST. 413 



carried by the wind from other fields, and in various 

 ways which cannot be guarded against. But no per 

 son, who is duly sensible that the disease may be 

 checked, if not wholly eradicated, by careful attention, 

 should hesitate to employ all those means of preven 

 tion which may be in his power. The barn in which 

 wheat has been either stored or thrashed, should therefore 

 be thoroughly aired, and every corner swept ; if also 

 the walls of the interior were well washed with strong 

 lime-water, the precaution would not be improper ; and 

 sacks which have held the infected grain should be im 

 mersed in a similar solution.&quot; 



EKGOTED WHEAT. 



A writer representing the Botanical Society of Can 

 ada West, records the following suggestions concern 

 ing the ergot in wheat, in that province. But little is 

 known of ergot in wheat in the States, except in certain 

 localities. The writer says : 



&quot; In addition to the various pests that have already 

 been noticed as affecting the wheat crops this season, 

 there is one .in more than usual abundance, viz. : Ergot. 

 This is a very remarkable fungus, Claviceps purpurea, 

 Fr., which swells up the grain into an enlarged, black, 

 tough mass. If a field of wheat be examined, it will 

 be seen that some of the ears have one or more large, 

 black, horn-like processes projecting from among the 

 grains. These are the ergoted grains. This disease is 

 common in many parts of this province. 



&quot; Ergot of wheat has similar properties to ergot of rye, 

 but is by no means so common in Europe. On the 

 American continent, however, it appears to be more 



