- 2 - 

 there av-e any visible signs of parasitic growth. Externally, such flov/ers of 

 tlie 'lost, as for instance of a voting rye plant, from v/jiich. later sclerotia de- 

 velop instead of seeds, often have the appearance of the healthy and normal 

 ones. Its normal tissues, hov/ever, imy have already been replaced by a fine, 

 '-ello\.'ish-v/hite furigous growth. The exterior of this growth, visible when the 

 flo'/er is opened caiefully, is divided by sinuous fui-rows into more or less 

 \Tn.iforrn sections. j^s the fungus develops further .finally occu.pying pi-actical- 

 ly the ''hole interior of tiie grain, there also appea.rs a slimy, insipid, svjeet- 

 ish, sors-.vhat cloudy liquid, which is probably a secretion product of the siyce- 

 lia. In this liquid are set free the fungal conidia, giving it the cloudy ap- 

 pear .srice. This liquid scales through the glumes of the flov/er 3-nd collects in 

 crops on them or at vtheir bases. It is called "honey dew'', and the stsige of 

 the fungous development at which dev; is secreted is called the ■•sphacelial" 

 sta-ge, ''Sphacelia ■■ being the generic name of the conidial stage of Claviceps. 

 The ::4nount of "dG"'-' and the length of time during which it is secreted depend 

 upon fis r.;.pic.ity ?,jC. -:,:..oun.t of fungous grourth. 



■W^hile the "honey dev/" conti;:.uos to be secreted in drops, the irycelia 

 = t the a,-se of the invaded embryo send out consider£.bly thiclcer branches. 

 These unite fron. below u.pvards into a tmiformly thiclc, hard body on the exter- 

 ior of ./hich the fungous threads build a dense layer, reddish to violet in 

 color- The body thus formed is the young sclerotium on xtiose apex the fungous 

 threads continue to gro\7 uiolf ormly. Lp.ter tliese tlxreads dry out, forming v/hat 

 is c?J-led the ■■cap' usually found on the apex of the ripe sclerotiuia. These 

 erA'ot kernels o: sclerotia are scattered throvighout the head, more commonly at 

 the iov^er or middle part, and are coiauonly long, extended, somewhat curved, 

 longitudinally furrowed, cylindric bodies. On the outside they are grayish- 

 violet, sorstiv.es also with a dusty appearance due to a coatin_g of v/axy scales. 



GEOG^-PAPHICAL DISTRIBUTIOF 



JIha_distribution of ergot is very general \/ith the distribution of 



