Colorado Plants Injurious To Live:stock ii 
of grass. This hard mass is not a degenerate kernel of grass, how¬ 
ever. During the fore part of the growing season, the young and 
tender ovaries of the grass flower are infected with spores of the 
fungus, which later develops into the ergot stage. As a result of 
this infection, a fungus growth covers and penetrates the young grass 
ovary, finally replacing the latter entirely with fungal tissue. Min¬ 
ute spores are then produced in large numbers, and carried to other 
plants by means of insects and wind. In this way the disease spreads 
throughout the field. In the latter part of the summer the soft fung¬ 
ous mass in the head of grass is replaced by the characteristic hard, 
black structure, commonly known as ergot (fig. i). This is the 
structure by means of which the fungus lives over the winter. The 
blade ergot masses vary in size and shape, depending upon the plant 
attached. They are the largest on rye. 
Ergot develops upon a number of grasses. Chief of these is 
cultivated ry^ (Secalc ccrealc') and various species of wild rye 
(Blymus). It also occurs on several wheat-grasses (Agropyron), 
a number of meadow grasses (Poa), timothy (Phleum pratense), a 
reed canary-grass (Phalaris arundinacea), prairie June-grass {Koele- 
ria cHstata), and several other grasses. 
Ergot is widely distributed throughout this country and Europe. 
It does but little injury to the grass upon which it is living, but is 
often the cause of serious troubles in livestock. 
Ergotism. —Ergotism is the disease caused from eating grasses 
that contain ergot. Cattle are most often affected. The disease 
makes its appearance most often during the winter and spring but 
may appear at any time. 
Symptoms. —Two distinct types of the disease are recognized, 
namely, spasmodic and gangrenous. There are serious digestive dis¬ 
turbances in both types of the disease. 
In the spasmodic form there are spasmodic contractions of the 
muscles, numbness of the extremities, tremblings, convulsions and 
delerium. In the gangrenous form of ergotism there is, as a result 
of prolonged constriction of the blood vessels, especially of the ex¬ 
tremities, a decreased amount of blood to the parts, and in some 
cases the circulation is completely obstructed. When the circulation 
is obstructed dry gangrene follows and there is sloughing of the 
tips of the ears, tail, hair, and even the feet may come off as far up as 
the canon bones. Cold weather of course helps to make conditions 
worse. 
Treatment. —In the first place remove the cause. Examine the 
hay for the black ergot bodies which grow in place of the kernels 
of grain in the heads. Treatment is not very satisfactory in well 
established cases. Tannic acid is the best chemical antidote and its 
effect is upon the poisons that are not yet absorbed into the circula¬ 
tion. Chloral is probably the most satisfactory physiological anti¬ 
dote. Animals affected with ergotism should be kept warm and 
treatment should be directed to meet the conditions as they arise. 
