404 Journal of Agricultural Research voi. vn, no . 9 
The sphacelia stage in which honeydew is exuded lasts but a few days. 
If the weather is dry, the whole grass head is likely to become dry and 
dead, and no further development occurs. Or, again, honeydew may 
become infected with a species of Fusarium or Cladosporium and growth 
be stopped. If weather conditions are favorable, the solid mass of 
fungus tissue, constituting the bulk of the sphacelia tissue, continues to 
enlarge and soon forces the glumes of the spikelets apart. These masses 
are young sclerotia. In some cases within a week after the sphacelia 
stage was at its height the young sclerotia were projecting from between 
the glumes of the spikelet and were i to 2 mm. in diameter. Following 
this, some of the sclerotia continue to enlarge, attaining a maximum 
diameter of about 4 mm. and characters as outlined above. During 
September and October the largest sclerotia are to be found; sclerotia are 
also most plentiful then. 
OTHER FUNGI INFECTING PASPAEUM DILATATUM 
As was mentioned above, Fusarium heterosporum Nees. and Clado¬ 
sporium sp. are two other fungi found infecting heads of Paspalum 
dilataium. While these fungi have not been studied carefully, they seem 
to be largely in the nature of molds growing on Claviceps paspali and parts 
of the diseased grass heads. The inoculation of healthy grass heads with 
spores from pure cultures of each of these fungi produced no infection. 
They are probably of no great consequence. 
POISONOUS PROPERTIES OF CLAVICEPS PASPALI 
As was shown by Brown and Ranck, 1 Claviceps paspali is poisonous 
to certain animals, especially to cattle and guinea pigs. It produces a 
peculiar nervousness, resembling considerably that shown in certain 
stages of rabies, and if eaten in quantity may cause death. A gram of 
extract made from this fungus, although probably containing other sub¬ 
stances in addition to the poisonous element, will, if fed to a guinea pig, 
cause death within a few hours. Many cattle running on pastures in 
which the diseased grass is plentiful perish when under the influence of 
the poison by getting down in the pasture out of reach of water and feed. 
A good many others, too, perish by drowning in pools or ponds of shallow' 
water. They fall into the water in a nervous paroxysm and drown 
before getting over it. 
Guinea pigs used in feeding experiments showed nervousness after 
being fed 50 sclerotia that had been picked from old heads of Paspalum 
dilatatum . Continued feeding produced death within a week or less. 
In most cases the sclerotia were given in doses of 25 a day. 
In feeding experiments carried on during the summer of 1915 it was 
found that sclerotia that had been in the laboratory for about 10 months 
1 Brown, H. B., and Ranck, E. M. Forage poisoning due to Claviceps paspali on Paspalum. Miss. Agr. 
Exp. Sta. Tech. Bui. 6, 35 p„ 18 fig. 1915. 
