The Natural Hislory of British Grasses. 
477 
Ergot ha" \ong been known as prevailing to a considerable 
extent in the rye of the Continent ; and it is principally from this 
corn tliat the ergot of rye used in medicine has 
been obtained, and the terrific effects of its pre- 
sence in rye-bread have been pointed out by 
various medical authors. Amongst other diseases 
incidental to its prolonged use, even in small 
quantities, is that of Ganc/rene : its more im- 
mediate operation upon gravid animals appears 
to be the procuring of abortion ; and as one 
of the grasses in which it occurs in great quan- 
tity is the Loliiim perenne (rye grass), a prevail- 
ing grass in all good pastures, it often becomes 
a matter of great importance to look well to a 
meadow in autumn before turning in cows. 
Two years since, the late Earl Ducie suffered 
considerably from the dropping of the calves of 
some of his most valuable stock. At this time 
a quantity of ergotized rye-grass was gathered 
in the field where these accidents took place ; 
and from the report given me of the general 
state of the meadow, I have little doubt but 
that this diseased grass was the cause of the 
accidents which occurred. 
The quantity of ergot in some low damp 
meadows is quite astonishing ; however, it is 
lessened by good draining. Uplands are much 
less affected : in the Cotteswold district the 
bands of oolitic clays are often clearly made 
out by the quantity of ergotized grass. 
I have gathered ergot from almost every species 
of grass ; but it occurs to a very inconsiderable 
extent in other grasses of the pasture — the Poa 
Jluitans, a water grass, and Bromus asper, per- 
haps are next to the rye-grass ; but these, from 
their quality and position, can have no effect of 
a baneful kind. 
3. Lolium pererme 
ergotized. 
Description of the Drawings. 
1. Oatlike grass attacked by smut. 
a. The smutted flowers. 
b. The spores of the fungus magnified 200 diameters. 
2. Ergot of rye. 
a. Ergot in the chafiF-scales, f. 
h. Section of ergot surmounted by the pistils, thus showing it to be a dis- 
eased grain, f. 
c. Transverse section of the same. 
3. Rye-grass bearing several grains of ergot of different sizes. 
VOL. XV, 2 I 
