128 
and in the cell cultures became of a reddish brown color much 
the same as the color of the mycelium found in the sori at the 
maturity of the fungus on its host. 
Dilution cultures for the separation of the fungus were started 
in ordinary nutrient agar-agar. The spores germinated well, but 
no sporidia were developed, and in the course of a week a portion 
of the mycelium was transplanted to dead cornstalk pith which 
had been saturated with agar. Here the fungus grew profusely, 
but did not fruit, the substratum probably being not of the proper 
nature to encourage the normal development of the plant. After 
two weeks’ growth the mycelium was examined, and a small por- 
tion of it is represented in figure 7. The older portions now pre- 
sent a moniliform appearance, the cells possessing very large 
~ vacuoles and the walls being very brown in color. ; 
The genus Ceredella was first described by Cesati from spect 
mens on Andropogon Ischemi in Italy, and was supposed to be 
related to certain of the Hyphomycetes, as Sporodesminin.” : 
Berkley} suggested its relationship with Polycystis. De Toni 
places it among the Ustilaginez, and suggests its close relation” — 
ship with Uvocystis or Thecaphora. The appearance of the spore 
balls suggests a much closer relationship with Zecaphora than : 
with Urocystis, but the germination of the spores does not show 4 — 
very close relationship with either, and the mycelium from the : 
spore is very different from the promycelium of either Urocys@ 
or Thecaphora. The failure to produce sporidia would not form @ 
very strong argument against the location of this plant in bee 
Ustilaginez, since Brefeld § found that the dusty smut of barley a 
and the smut of wheat did not in nutrient solutions produce 
sporidia. But certain characters of the mycelium would seem a 
favor its exclusion from the Ustilaginee, but this will be St” 
a matter of doubt until the other species of the genus have be 
studied.» | 
BoranicaL DEPARTMENT, CORNELL UNIVERSITY. 
* Saccardo Syll. Fung. 4: 761. 
+ Gardeners’ Chronicle, 1852, 643. 
$Sacc. Syll. Fung. 7: 2, 515. a 
§ Journ. Mycol. 6: 1890-91, 153 (translation from the Nachrichten aus dem 
der Landwirthe zu Berlin, Nos, 220-222). 
