726 
The  Cultivation  of  Ergot 
5  Am.  Jour,  Pharm. 
I       Oct.,  1921. 
the  flower  is  open,  and  is,  therefore,  practically  confined  to  such 
flowers  as  open  and  are  subject  to  cross-fertilization.  Barley 
and  wheat  are  seldom  attacked,  as  they  are  self -fertilized,  and  the 
flowers  do  not  open.  Rye  is  usually  cross-fertilized,  the  self-fer- 
tilized flowers  being  sterile;  the  flowers  open  when  the  anthers 
are  ripe.  The  time  during  which  the  flower  remains  open  depends 
on  the  time  at  which  fertilization  is  effected,  and  varies.  Isolated 
rye  plants  by  the  wayside  or  scattered  in  fields  of  wheat  where  the 
prospects  of  fertilization  are  small  may  keep  their  flowers  open  for 
a  week,  and  these  are  the  plants  that  are  most  commonly  infected 
by  ergot.  In  the  case  of  fields  of  rye  in  which  clouds  of  pollen  are 
produced  fertilization  is  quickly  effected  and  the  flowers  close.  The 
flowering  of  a  field  of  rye  is  over  in  about  a  week ;  this  is  about  the 
time  the  sphacelia  takes  to  develop  after  the  spore  has  attacked  the 
ovary.  The  conidia  produced  by  the  sphacelia,  therefore,  finds  no 
flowers  open  and  ready  for  infection,  and  this  method  of  the  further^ 
dissemination  of  the  ergot  is  not  available.  In  the  cultivation  of 
ergot  the  endeavor  must  accordingly  be  made  to  hinder  the  fer- 
tilization as  much  as  possible,  and  so  prolong  the  period  of  flower- 
ing. With  this  object  in  view,  the  rye  should  not  be  sown  in  fields, 
but  in  single  rows  between  rows  of  other  plants,  such  as  maize. 
Damp,  windless  weather  is  unfavorable  for  fertilization,  and,  there- 
fore, favorable  for  the  dissemination  of  the  ergot.  Sites  for  the 
cultivation  of  ergot  should  be  sought  in  damp  localities  where  the 
air  is  still. 
Another  method  of  prolonging  the  time  during  which  the  open 
flowers  are  available  is  by  sowing  at  intervals  of  a  week  or  fortnight. 
The  plants  should  be  about  ten  centimeters  aparts,  so  as  to  favor 
the  development  of  several  stems  with  inflorescences  developing  at 
different  times.  Special  species  or  varieties,  such  as  secale  monta- 
num,  may  also  be  sown.  By  such  means  the  duration  of  the  flower- 
ing may  be  extended  from  the  middle  of  June  to  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember. 
The  cultivator  visits  the  plants  daily,  or  more  than  once  a  day, 
and  sprays  the  open  flowers  with  conidia  suspension.  Once  infec- 
tion is  effected,  further  dissemination  is  carried  out  by  natural 
means.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  cultivation  on  a  large  scale  is 
feasible,  but  it  must  be  carried  out  by  specially  trained  workers.  The 
danger  of  infecting  rye  fields  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  cultivation  is 
