INDIAN CORN. 167 



abundance of the spores. None of the preventives 

 suggested, however, have been effectual. The disease 

 is much worse some seasons than others. 



Corn smut is not an active poison, as it has been 

 fed to cattle in numerous instances in large quanti- 

 ties for a considerable period of time without appar- 

 ent injury. 



Corn, like other cereals and grains, is subject to 

 rust, although it does not seem to be materially in- 

 jured thereby. Besides this there is known to exist 

 in Illinois, and is supposed to exist in other western 

 states, a bacterial disease of corn, which is known not 

 only to do considerable damage to corn in some lo- 

 calities, but it is also supposed that the germ which 

 causes the disease in the corn is able to cause a sud- 

 den and fatal disease in cattle. This is known as the 

 corn-stalk disease. The first indication of the disease 

 is the dwarfed condition^of the young plants. This 

 commonly occurs in spots of various sizes, and is 

 found in rich places, rather than in those of poorer 

 quality. The young diseased plants, besides being 

 smaller than the healthy ones, are uniformly yellow- 

 ish in color, the lowest leaves showing worst. Af- 

 fected plants are easily pulled from the ground on 

 account of the death of the lower roots. The inner 

 tissue of the lower part of the stalk has a uniform 

 dark color, while on the surface there are brownish 

 corroded spots. After midsummer the leaf sheaths 

 become spotted with various sized patches of a wa- 

 tery brown, half-rotten in appearance, which are most 

 conspicuous from the inner surface. The ears are, 

 at least occasionally, affected. Internally, in the 

 worst stage, the whole ear is reduced to a moist state 



