G BIJEBA-I COFSIBF'R ATIOW OP THS DISSASB 

 Ergot is a disease of grains and grasses caused hy several species 

 of fungi belonging to the genus Claviceps. The aost common, the earliest 

 loiov/n, and the best tinderstood species of the genus is C> p urpure a Tul. Con- 

 cerning this species we possess an extensive literature, \'*.ereas concerning 

 the others \;e have hut short and rather inadequate taxonimic descriptions. It 

 may he said that practically the entire literature on ergot deals \7ith C.. pur- 

 _purea,. Because of this, son^e chapters in this paper, especially the first 

 five, apply almost, if not entirely, to this species, there being in the majo- 

 rity of cases, no infornation concerning the other species on the points con- 

 sidered. It is, hov/ever- supposed that what is written of _C. "purpurea is true, 

 in a general v/ay also of the other species of the same genus, although here 

 too there is, in the najority of cases, still no supporting experimBntal evi- 

 dence . 



COmiOW NAMES 

 The name "ergot" is the term commonly used for the disease in this 

 country, although in sor.e sections of the country and also in some textboolcs 

 it is spoken of and described as spurred rye, "spur" being a translation of 

 the French "ergot", meaning rooster's or code's spur, which name was early ap- 

 plied to the disease by Prench writers. In England it is taiown as cockspur, 

 black grain of corn, and ergot; in France, as "1' ergot du siegle", "siegle 

 comu ' , and "siegle ergot^"; in Germany, most comiionly as ■•Mutterkorn", but 

 also as "Komzapfen","Hungerkorn', "Roggenmutter" , "Martinskom'-', "Afterkorn", 

 "Hahnsporn", "Todtenkopf " , and "Gerstenmutter" ; in Italy, as "sporon di gallo", 

 "chiodo segalino", "grano sprone", etc.; and in Russia, as "spomija". 



DESCRIPTION 

 All Claviceps species attack only the heads of the grain or grass, 

 or rather only single flowers scattered here and there in "ttie head. The em- 

 bryos of the flowers are first infected and EBy be practically destroyed before 



