Un the Origin of Ergot. 3G1 



also discover the juice of the grain was still discharging 

 from the orifice. 



On the morning of the first of August, by observing thu 

 groups of flies, I found two heads of rye near each other, and 

 each of which contained a grain o{ punctured or diseased rye, 

 The culms I tied to a stake, drove between them, the better 

 to enable me again to fiiid them, and to observe then- future 

 appearances. At that time he />i«?icfMrfirf grains exhibited no 

 symptoms of decay, otherwise than a small discharge o! fluid. 

 During the first day, rhe flies were busily employed in extract- 

 ing their delicious beverage from the orifice of each grain, 

 and when it did not Q.ow in sufticietit quantity for their sup- 

 ply, they would probe it anew On the 2d of August both 

 grains appeared to be in a state of fermentation, and rapidly 

 tending to decay. On the 3d, being forty-eight hours from 

 the time when 1 commenced my observations, each grain had 

 become a rotten and shapeless mass, and exhibited very little 

 appeai'ance of healthy rye. Then, on carefully opening the 

 valves of the glume, I discovered in each a small black glo- 

 bule, the size of which was rather larger than a pin's head. 

 These* were situate at the points of the peduncles of the 

 diseased grains, which afterwards proved to be ergot. Du- 

 ring the first four days after the ergot was discovered, they 

 grew in length very near two lines in each twenty-four 

 hours, displacing the remains of the diseased rye from the 

 glumes which they had occupied. On the 12th of August, 

 the ergot had attained its full growth. The dimensions of one 

 j;'. of ergot were twelve lines in length, and three hues in 

 diameter. The other grain measured a little less. 



On the 3d of August, being convinced that the primary 

 cause of ergot was the puncture of the healthy grain by the 

 fly, it occurred to me that perhaps it might be produced by 

 such means as I possessed. To ascertain this fact, with the 

 point of a fine needle f punctured four grains of rye, in the 

 same head, it then being in a green pulpy state, and of full 

 grown size. A discharge of the juice of the grains was soon 

 discovered from the orifice of each. The flies collected as 

 in those cases before mentioned. The result was, that on 

 the fourth day after the operation was performed, ergot ap- 

 peared in the glume, occupying the places of two of the 

 punctured grains. The other two grains exhibited no symp- 

 toms of decay, but continued in a healthy state. From ap- 

 pearances, 1 am led to believe that in warm dry weather 



Vol. IX. No. 2. 46 



