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liho sometimes not inaptly describea as ‘^feetid Smut,” in conse- 
quence of the bad odour that it emits. Its spores are brown, and 
beautifully reticulated, while those of the true “Smut” are very 
nearly black, and very much smaller. This fungus affects the 
heat grains, and, destroying all the flour, replaces it by its own 
fetid spores ; these pass through four generations, the sporidia 
jocoming smaller at each fresh development, before they infect the 
plant which is to be their victim. When the millers receii-c 
“ bunted Wheat,” they imss it through a dresser, with a stron- 
c.xhaust, so as to draw out the “Ihint,” and thus preserve the flour 
from the smell and the discoloumtion which would result from the 
presence of these diseased grains. 
1 erhaps the most dangerous of these jiarasite.s, when taken into 
the human system, is the Ergot, or Clavicep, purpurea. Happily 
this IS generally very rare in Norfolk, though a considerable 
quantity was found among the manshland Wheats in the year 1879 
in which the summer was abnormally wet and sunles.s. ’ 
