'tt thz Srgot 



(Claviceps purpurea). 



By MORTON STUART, Esq. 



UR late Secretary, Professor Buckman, contributed 

 from time to time a series of papers to the 

 Dorset Field Club on various fungoid diseases of 

 our cultivated plants. One very important one, 

 and of great interest from its curious life history, 

 was omitted. Had he been permitted, I feel no 

 doubt that it would have been included amongst his papers, and 

 I therefore take this opportunity of drawing the attention of the 

 Society to this particular disease affecting grasses and cereals, 

 which is generally known as the Ergot (Claviceps purpurea). 

 There is another reason why this is a suitable opportunity for 

 inviting notice to this strange fungoid disease, and this is, that it 

 seems to me to have made its appearance somewhat earlier than 

 usual this year, and to be very prevalent in some localities. In 

 Somersetshire during July and the early part of August I had not 

 noticed it at all, but in Dorset, whilst walking home from our last 

 meeting at Bere, on August 19th, T found several specimens, and 

 since then I have noticed much more of it. This is rather 

 curious, as generally it does not make its appearance to any great 

 extent until later in the autumn, and is particularly plentiful in 

 wet seasons, which cannot certainly be said of this one. We are 



