186 Brand in the Cereals. [Nov., 



is remarkable that it never infests the cereal rye. (The fungi of 

 Germany, No. 9, page 5, Leipsic, Voss., 1819.")* 



When we therefore give to the following parasite the popular 

 name, we by no means wish thereby to discredit the above ex- 

 pressed experience, and would observe that the rauch brand of rye 

 is no species of brand, but is a kind of fungus. It affects rye in 

 moist cloudy seasons, and is especially ibund in narrow high 

 mountain valleys. It is not developed in the tissue of the mother 

 plant, but it seats itself on its upper surface, and only sends the 

 fibres of its root-texture into the substance of the mother plant. 

 In rye this parasite nevertheless hinders the full ripening of the 

 grain, and the seeds of the ears attacked by it are small, stunted, 

 horny, and give a poor flour which is still more affected by the 

 parasite, as the washing and moistening of the grain before grind- 

 ing, cannot remove it; but on the contrary fixes it more firmly 

 than before. 



This brand, the rauch brand, belongs to the fibrous fungi and 

 appears at first as a slight blackening of the ears, as soon as these 

 begin to ripen and turn yellow. In its developed state it forms 

 on the cars irregularly shaped rough masses (Fig. 18), of a dark- 

 olive color varying to a blackish hue. This seats itself especial- 

 ly on the heads of the seed corns (Fig. 9, 10, 11), and only in its 

 very highest development passes over to the other parts of the 

 fruit bud and unites itself with them. If we closely examine this 

 olive-green substance, we find that it consists of perpendicular ar- 

 ticulated olive-green, transparent fibres (Fig. 12), which develope 

 on their points elongated spores that afterwards fall off and ap- 

 pear scattered in among the fibres. These spores are sometimes 

 one celled (Fig. 13), sometimes two and three celled (Fig. 14), 

 and are light olive-green, smooth, with a delicate spore skin. In 

 every spore cell is found a slimy spore kernel filling the hollow 

 space. The diameter lengthwise of the spores varies from 0.000- 

 300 to 0.000860 Paris inch. The spores sprout again on the 

 ears still standing in the field (Fig. 15), while one of their cells 

 spreads out sideways and forms an articulated cellular fibre, like 

 the fibre of the developed fungus (Fig. 12), which in moist and 

 warm weather in the course of twenty-four hours again produces 

 a new plant and new spores. This rapid reproduction makes this 

 fungus so injurious in moist warm autumn weather, and if the 

 grain comes to the threshing in a moist state, the fungus also in- 

 creases in a truly frightful manner, indeed in damp granaries, or 



• Obs. Flug brand, ab agricolis Germanial vocatur. Insigne, quod Le- 

 cate, cereale nunquam infestat. (Teutschlands Schwarame. No 9, s. 5, 

 Leipsic, Voss., 1819.) 



