286 THE BOOK OF CORN 



Effects of Smut on Animal Life — On the other 

 hand experimental evidence goes to show that danger 

 from eating corn smut is very slight, if indeed, there 

 is any at all, and that the harm which has been ascribed 

 to it is more reasonably referred to other causes. In 

 1784, the distinguished French investigator, Imhof, ex- 

 perimented upon himself by taking a considerable 

 quantity of the spores before breakfast every morning 

 for a fortnight, also applying the spores to a wound on 

 his hand, and employing them as snuff, without ex- 

 periencing the slightest harm or ill effects. Other 

 early investigators and many recent ones have tried 

 experiments both on man and animals, and with one 

 or two possible exceptions no injury resulted. In these 

 trials cows, which are thought to be the chief sufferers, 

 have been fed smut for weeks, often as much as ten 

 pounds, or a half bushel, daily during the latter part 

 of the time, without symptoms of injury in any partic- 

 ular, and with every appearance of its being an accept- 

 able and nutritious food. Some of the cows were 

 pregnant. ' 



Chemical tests, and physiological studies with 

 fluid extract of smut, however, appear to show that it 

 contains small quantities of a narcotic substance, which 

 taken in concentrated form may act upon the nerve 

 centers and affect certain reflex movements, especially 

 those of respiration. It appears possible to cause death 

 with it, but unless that happens the effects of even 

 large doses soon disappear and no harm follows. That 

 it is ever possible for an animal to eat enough of the 

 smut as found in the field to produce death seems 

 highly improbable, unless in the possible rare case of a 

 very susceptible individual. 



A Nutritive Food — Feeding experiments have 

 demonstrated that cattle relish the smut, and that it 

 serves as a nutritious food. Moreover, chemical analy- 



