724 
The  Cultivation  of  Ergot 
5  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
(      Oct.,  1921. 
warm  weather  the  stromata  ripen  quicky,  the  color  passing  from  yel- 
low to  violet ;  in  them  myriads  of  perithecia  are  formed,  and  in  these 
the  asci  containing  the  very  slender  spores  are  developed.  These 
spores  are  ejaculated  from  the  perithecia,  and,  being  carried  by  the 
gentlest  currents  in  the  atmosphere,  are  raised  in  the  air  and  borne 
to  the  flowers,  which  must  be  open  to  receive  them.  A  single  spore 
entering  an  open  flower  and  resting  on  the  ovary  is  sufficient  to  cause 
the  infection.  The  spore  develops,  the  ovary  perishes,  and  its 
place  is  taken  by  a  whitish,  cheesy  mass  of  mycelium  which,  in  about! 
eight  days,  forms  multitudes  of  conidia  and  simultaneously  secretes  a 
viscous,  sweet  honey-dew,  the  "sphacelia  segetum"  of  the  older  au- 
thorities. This  is  visited  by  various  insects  (Melanostoma  mellina, 
\Rhagonycha  fulva,  Sciara  Thomce,  etc.),  and  the  honey-dew,  with 
the  conidia  suspended  in  it,  is  carried  to  other  plants  where  further 
infection  is  effected,  provided,  of  course,  that  open  flowers  are  still 
present.  The  sphacelia  gradually  hardens  to  a  sclerotium,  on  the 
apex  of  which  its  remains  are  often  to  be  found  in  the  form  of  a 
•  whitish  cap  (still  containing  conidia). 
Ergot  occurs  not  only  on  rye,  but  also,  though  less  frequently, 
on  barley,  rarely  on  wheat,  but  often  on  a  large  number  of  wild 
grasses,  e.  g.,  Anthoxanthum,  Arrhenatarum,  Dactylis,  Festuca,  Pha- 
laris,  Briza,  Calamagrosti,  etc.  On  other  grasses  special  forms  may 
occur  which  will  not  develop  on  rye;  for  example,  a  form  is  found 
on  Lolium  perenne,  which  will  not  develop  on  rye,  but  which  can  pass 
to  Bromus,  Molinia,  and  other  grasses. 
Rye  is  the  only  host  practically  available  for  the  cultivation  of 
ergot,  but  it  is  hopeless  to  expect  success  from  sowing  ergots  in  a 
rye  field.  This  has  been  tried  and  has  failed.  Infection  depends  on 
so  many  circumstances  that  the  quantity  of  ergot  produced  may 
easily  be  less  than  the  quantity  sown.  In  the  most  favorable  in- 
stances barely  one  per  cent,  of  the  grain  harvested  will  be  ergot.  The 
infection  must  be  artificial.  The  sclerotium  is  necessarily  the  start- 
ing-point, and  it  must  be  induced  to  germinate  at  the  right  time,  for 
if  the  discharge  of  the  spores  does  not  coincide  with  the  flowering 
of  the  rye  no  infection  can  take  place.  The  conditions  of  germina- 
tion must  therefore  be  accurately  known.  Ergots  will  not  germinate 
satisfactorily  unless  they  have  wintered  in  the  open ;  if  kept  in  a 
room  and  then  sown  in  the  spring  they  will  germinate  either  badly 
or  not  at  all.    Probably  the  frost  has  some  action  on  the  sclerotium 
