30 



of his experiments, that if the sclerotium does not produce the stronata 

 during the first year after it has fallen to the ground, it loses its 

 viahility. Early workers viio studied ergot did not loiow that the ergot 

 sclerotium retains its germinating power during one' year if it is not dried 

 out completely. In order to test this Rostowzew (214) undertook the follow- 

 ing experiment, A number of sclerotia from rye were gathered in August and 

 kept in a dry laboratory. Other sclerotia were placed in sand in a shallow 

 pot and placed in a cold room with winter temperature of 0°C. and lower. 

 The saoad was moistened and later watered tivo or three times. In January 

 the following year it was found that the sand and the sclerotia on the 

 surface of the pot were entirely dry. During the remainder of the experiment 

 the second lot of sclerotia were placed in pure sand in a dish and kept 

 constantly moist. In February most of the sclerotia that during the whole 

 experiment were deep in the pot germinated, whereas those that were near 

 the surface of the pot and those kept in the laboratory and thus exposed to 

 drying failed to germinate. The same experiment was repeated during the 

 following year with sclerotia from C.. purpurea obtained from various grasses 

 and C.. microee-ph»3La from Molinia coerula and yielded similar results. Lutz 

 (165), on the other hand., reports that ergot sclerotia from Psainma arenaria 

 harvested in August 1902 germinated in March, 1904, and also later in May 

 and formed a reproductive apparatus similar to that of C.. pur-purea . 

 Zimmermann (304) found, contraiy to the observations of Rostowzew, that dry 

 season or the dry preservation of ergot in bottles until planting time did 

 not affect its germinating power. Working with ergot sclerotia, Zimmermann 

 established the following facts; 



1. Sclerotia germinate even during the second year after 



their formation. 



2. Sclerotia, which failed to germinate the first year, even 



