10 
0. S. U. Naturalist. 
[Nov. 
stunted growth. The new stalks that appear now and then are in- 
variably affected, though sometimes one of the panicles, either the 
one terminating the main stem or one of the side branches may be 
free from visible smut. It is thus evident that this species of smut 
is perennial wdiere its host lives from year to year. Figure 3 shows 
a photograph of one of the plants started in the greenhouse in 1899, 
its first stem producing an infected panicle. Figure 4 shows a plant 
grown in 1900, the first or central panicle not exhibiting the smut, 
but later when panicles from the side branches appeared, they were 
seen to be smutted. 
It seems that another experimenter, whom I will quote, has 
succeeded scarcely as well. Mr. G. P. Clinton, the assistant Botanist 
of the Illinois Experiment Station, Urbana, Illinois, in Bulletin No. 
57 (March, 1900) reports as follows: “Apparently from the experi- 
ments of Kellerman, infection takes place through the germinating 
seed, though the percent, of infection he produced was rather small. 
In ’98 field experiments were conducted herewith a view of infect- 
ing the Orange variety of sorghum with this smut. In one case the 
seed was mixed with an abundance of spores andjin others these 
spores were sprayed in water or manure water on the young parts of 
the plants when about six inches high. In none of the several hun- 
dred plants that matured was any sign of the smut found. It is very 
likely that the variety used may have had something to do with the 
negative results, as it was not the same from which the smut was 
taken.” 
The head-smut of sorghum is not to be confused with another 
species that occurs on the same host. The one now referred to is a 
grain-smut, that is, the panicle as a whole is not included, but the 
individual grains become smutted. This species has been called 
XJstilago sorg/ii, but Mr. Clinton regards it as a Cintractia, namely, 
Cintractia sorghi-vulgaris (Tul.) Clint. It is more common than the 
former, occurring often on sorghum and broom corn. 
The head-smut of sorghum, Ustilago or Cintractia reiliana, 
was first found in this country by Prof. J. T. Willard at Manhattan, 
Kansas, in 1890, in a plot grown for purposes of chemical investiga- 
tion. The same year it was detected by Dr. Ha lsted in New Jersey. 
I found it in Ohio in 1897 and it is now reported for Illinois by Mr. 
Clinton. In all these cases it occurred only on sorghum, but Prof. 
Hitchcock has reported it as not uncommon on maize in fields about 
Man h at tan , Ka i i sas . 
Explanation of Plate 2. — Ustilago or Cintractia reiliana. Figure 1 : The foliicolous form 
occurring on sweet corn, the panicle not yet emerged, but tne smut on upper leaves iu sight. 
Figure 2: Same as in Figure 1, showing a later stage of maturity. Figure 3: An infected 
sorghum plant in the greenhouse, photographed in 1899, the panicle smutted. Figure 4 : An 
infected sorghum plant, grown in the greenhouse in 1900, the central panicle sound, the later 
(side) panicles smutted. 
