. 308 
is located near the ground, and at this point the young stems de- 
cay and break down. During the present year this disease has 
been under consideration, and its fungous nature established. 
Specimens of the young plants that have early fallen victims to 
the fungus show only a cobwebby mass of mycelium upon the 
diseased parts, and in themselves offered only discouragement to 
the further study of the trouble. Several hot-beds were visited, 
and in some cases after the healthy plants had been culled out. 
It was here that specimens of the trouble were obtained that fur- 
nished a clew to the nature of the fungus. These plants showed 
a dead base to the stem, not more than a third the normal size, 
and upon the surface were small pimples, slightly darker than the 
surrounding dry substance. Upon making thin sections and ex- 
amining the fungus, it proved to be a Phoma with many of the 
pycnidia entirely subterranean, while the others were partly su- 
perficial. 
Three inch pieces of young, healthy stems were sterilized for 
test tube cultures, and upon these, at first three in number, the 
Phoma was inoculated with a full measure of success in all cases. 
The treated stems became contracted and covered with the pyc- 
nidia of the Phoma as in the original. From these in turn other 
stems were inoculated. 
In the meantime the threads from the damped off specimens 
of another hot-bed had been placed in agar tubes, from which de- 
veloped the pycnidia. While differing somewhat in shape from 
those upon the stems, they had the contents of minute spores— _ 
hyaline and 3-16 by 2 u—thus showing that this Poma, (P. 
Solani, Hals.), in its vegetative condition upon young seedlings 
is one of the so-called damping-off fungi. 
BYRON D. HALSTED. 
Notes on Some Curious Fungi.” 
A curious resinous fungus was found in California on living 
pine trees, and which Mr. Ellis thought might be Polyporus 
officinalis, Fr. The specimen exhibited was brought to the 
Agricultural Department by J. Stanley Brown, of the Geologi- 
cal Survey, who had discovered its fungous nature, and wished 
"7 * Read before the Botanical Club, A. A. A. S., Washington meeting, August 
22d, 1891. 
