XXVII.] 



ERGOT. 



221 



is at A. By dexterously moving 

 the cover-glass, or "by manipulating 

 with a needle, we may easily get 

 some of these contained asci or 

 bladders free from the flask, and 

 when free a single ascus will be 

 seen if magnified 500 diameters, as 

 at A, Fig. 103. "We now perceive 

 that they are not empty bladders, 

 for through their transparent walls 

 we can see that each contains eight 

 extremely fine long attenuated 

 bodies, which are sporidia or spores. 

 One of these spores from an ascus 

 is farther enlarged to 1000 diam- 

 eters at B. If reference is now 

 made to the ascus and sporidia 

 belonging to the potato Peziza, as 

 illustrated to the same scale at Fig. 

 9, the difference, especially in the 

 spores, will be seen ; and if the 

 sporidium of the Torrubia of the 

 truffle is turned to at H, Fig. 22, a 

 similar long attenuated body will 

 be seen. The sporidium from the 

 Torrubia is furnished with an enor- 

 mous number of joints, whereas it 

 will be noticed that the body now 

 before us is apparently in one piece. 

 The exceedingly small, long, needle- 

 like, extremely attenuated sporidia 

 belonging to germinated ergot are 

 produced in June. When we have 

 an ergot with the club-shaped 

 Claviceps upon it we have the ergot 

 in fruit. 



On a June day, then, we have a fruiting ergot before 



\ 



X-5DO X-000 

 FIG. 103. Ascus of Clavi- 

 ceps purpurea, Tul. En- 

 larged 500 diameters. 

 Sporidium of ditto, en- 

 larged 1000 diameters. 



