84 THE ROMANCE OF EVERIFARM 



because he destroys so much gram. He ate a lot of 

 the wheat that was planted here and is now waiting 

 until the corn is planted in the adjoining field, so 

 that he can get another square meal." 



"Say, Mr. Rooster, what is that pretty pink thing 

 on that old dirty husk of corn lying on the ground? 

 I have been watching it since the last rain and it is 

 growing larger and getting prettier every day." 



The big rooster walked over to the husk of corn, 

 and found a partially rotted ear from the previous 

 year's crop still in the husk. It was covered with a 

 pink and yellow mass of mold spores, and as the 

 big rooster gave it a lusty kick, these spores were 

 caught by the wind and scattered all over that part 

 of the field. 



"I can't imagine what it is," remarked Mr. 

 Rooster, havmg no idea that he had done the worst 

 thing possible when he scattered the growing mass 

 off the old corn husk. 



Some of the flying fusarium spores from the husk 

 — for this is what they were — found lodgment on the 

 wheat plants, others fell at the roots of plants and 

 succeeding rains carried them down to the root hairs, 

 which in taking up moisture and plant food carried 

 these spores up through the canals of plant stems 

 to the young wheat heads that were just forming. 



