184 Brand in the Cereals. [Nov., 



bent brand bladders, one to three lines thick and often two or 

 three inches long, which are likewise white, and of a beautiful 

 silky lustre, slightly tinged with red at the tip and on the side 

 springing open to let out the spores. 



The spores (Fig. 2) in their normal state are globular, but they 

 are very frequently likewise somewhat ellipsoidal. In a ripe state 

 they are brown. The spore skin is covered with little warts and 

 on many spores may be observed a dark point in the middle, the 

 little opening (feusterchen? hilum) by which they were fas ened 

 to the fibrous bearer. Their diameter varies from 0.000320 — 0.- 

 000340 Paris inch. 



This species, always impairs some blossoms, as soon as it is 

 seated in the ear, while the other blossoms standing near bear 

 good ripe kernels. The brand bladders can be very easily re- 

 moved from the living plants by cutting them out, only this must 

 be done as timely as possible in order that in cutting them out, 

 the bladders may not scatter their powder, and thus a future crop 

 of brand not be prevented. For seed only kernels should be se- 

 lected from plants which have remained wholly free from the 

 brand. This kind of brand is by the structure of its spores diifier- 

 ent from all others, and only related to the wheat brand. 



Explanation of the Illustrations. 

 Fig. 1, brand bladders; a, on the stalk of maize of the natural 

 size; b, such a brand bladder cut through lengthwise. Fig. 2, 

 spores strongly magnified. 



VI. The Millet Brand. Uredo destruens, (Schlechtendahl.) 



Plate III. Fig 3— 7. 

 As the maize brand by the formation of a mass of abnormal 

 cellular tissue produces a peculiar covering for itself, even so, or 

 at least analogous thereto, the millet brand produces for itself, its 

 own peculiar covering, in which it enwraps and vitiates the col- 

 lective organs of blossoming and fructification or of the panicle. 

 Here the original formation enters within the panicle sheath, and 

 the leaves which invest it in its earliest growth; and as soon as 

 the brand reaches the outward surface or becomes visible, it is 

 already perfected and immediately ripe for sowing its seed. It 

 comes forth as a white, thin, oval-elongated body between the 

 capsular leaves of the millet (Fig. 3, a), which on closer exami- 

 nation appears rough on the outer surface and resembling the 

 outer form of an egg shell. This outer skin is very brittle, and 

 usually becomes split into many wide openings, running length- 

 wise (Fig. 3) whereby the dark-olive spores are rendered visible. 

 But in the ripening of the brand, this brand covering almost wholly 

 falls to pieces and we find only its scanty remnants of the base. 



