47 



proved in the autumn that a total infection of the host plants had taken place here 1 . Unfor- 

 tunately such a totally infected field of Indian millet cannot be photographed, because the 

 -minted plants of these experiments are not conspicuous enough to appear as smutted ones in a 

 photograph. Imagination suffices to form a clear picture of this most striking phenomenon. 



Further, the question is still unanswered whether in the smut of Indian millet infection 

 of the blossoms cannot also occur. Inflorescences are found which are totally infected. These are 

 usually the first to appear. Then follow other inflorescences which show only partial infection 

 and in which, between the smutted blossoms, may be found others blooming normally and pro- 

 vided with stamens and ovules. The sorghum sm ut is not as dusty as the loose smut, but it can be 

 blown with ease into the partially attacked inflorescences, or those perfectly healthy. Unfortunately 

 these experiments had no decisive results, because Indian millet in our climate ripens in separate 

 heads only in especially favorable vegetative years and forms ripe grain only rarely. Therefore 

 it can not be decided with certainty how far infection of the blossoms takes place here. In only 

 one case could healthy grains be gathered from partially smutted panicles in which a spraying 

 with the smut spores had been made use of. From these grains, however, healthy plants were 

 grown. 



(1) The total infection obtained here gave ground for carrying out the experiments In the same 

 way for wheat and barley with seed of different ages. AM may be seen from the survey of Infection 

 experiments given In detail pages 26-30; the experiments, however, were unsuccessful. 



