590 
ERGOT OF WHEAT. 
sporules ; whereas in that of the second there are portions 
in which not a trace is discoverable, and the mass is never 
completely formed of them. 
3d. — That ergot of wheat in no respect reminds us of the 
amylaceous substance, either in form or in the reaction with 
iodine, whereas in ergot of rye some corpuscles exist in the 
form of grains of starch, and exhibit in a slight degree the 
characteristic reaction with iodine. 
Ergotine of wheat has been prepared by a similar process to 
that used by M. Bonjean for ergotine of rye. The two pro- 
ducts are not precisely similar in their physical properties. 
But what advantage does ergot of wheat present? That 
of keeping well. It is well known that if exposed to the air, 
ergot of rye spoils very quickly, and that the powder, which 
is only prepared when it is wanted, requires to be kept very 
dry, in well stoppered bottles : ergot of wheat, on the con- 
trary, resists the action of time much longer, and no precau- 
tion is requisite for its preservation. 
The powder may be kept for a very long time without 
losing its properties; this greater resistance to the destroying 
power of time may be explained by the nature of the grain 
which produces the ergot. 
Ergot of wheat, possessing the same properties as that of 
rye, may be used in all cases where the latter medicament 
would be used, and by the ease with which it is preserved 
gives the practitioner much greater certainty as to its 
effects. — The Chemist . 
