478 Mr. Bauer on the Ergot of Rye, 



the minute scutella of sound grains, the substance of which is precisely of the 

 same nature. 



From the facts above stated, I think no doubt can remain in the mind of 

 any unprejudiced observer, that the ergot is solely a monstrosity or trans- 

 formation of the embryo of the germens of the rye, and those gramineous 

 plants which are subject to this disease. But what is the cause of this mon- 

 strosity or transformation ? This is a question which I confess I cannot an- 

 swer ; but my attentive observations and continued researches on the subject 

 of the diseases in corn have convinced me that rainy and wet seasons are not 

 the cause ; for during that period the various stiates of the weather had never 

 produced a corresponding effect on the corn, for the disease was often more 

 prevalent in a dry than in a wet season ; neither can I agree with those who 

 consider that insects cause it, for those minute flies and insects so often found 

 in infected ears, are also found, not only in the soundest ears of rye and other 

 gramineous plants, but are likewise found abundantly in all species of Syn- 

 genesious and other plants, where they seem to rummage the pollens of the 

 anthers. 



Whether some particular soil might cause this disease, 1 had no opportunity 

 of ascertaining, because in the neighbourhood of Kew very little rye is culti- 

 vated ; but it would be very interesting and desirable if some practical agri- 

 culturist would make the experiment on an extended scale, by sowing a cer- 

 tain quantity of sound rye seed-corn, from the same sample, on different soils, 

 and attentively observing, at the proper season, on which soil the disease was 

 more or less prevalent, and then analyse the component parts of the soil. 

 Such experiments would undoubtedly lead to some satisfactory result. 



The only experiment I was enabled to make, was collecting a small quan- 

 tity of rye grains from ears which were strongly infected with ergots, and 

 sowing these separately, but they did not produce one infected ear. 



The cause of this disease being yet totally unknown, it would be presump- 

 tuous and idle to talk of remedies to prevent or cure it ; that must be left till 

 the real cause is discovered. 



The pernicious quality of the ergot of rye, and the severe and often fatal 

 diseases engendered by the careless admixture of that substance with sound 

 corn, for human nourishment, has been recorded by many eminent authors. 



