382 A. E. HILTON ON NOTES ON THE CULTIVATION OF 



Professor De Bary (1884), in his great work on the Com- 

 parative Morphology and Biology of the Fungi, Mycetozoa and 

 Bacteria, mentions boiled cabbage leaves as having been used for 

 the cultivation of Mycetozoa ; but he does not name the species 

 which were cultivated, and boiled cabbage leaves, if kept for any 

 length of time, become too offensive for endurance. 



In 1906, an account was published in Germany of experiments 

 in the cultivation of plasmodia made by J. G. Constantineau ; 

 and these are alluded to both in Mr. Lister's Monograph and 

 the Royal Microscopical Society's Journal for April 1907. In 

 neither of these are details given, or any indication of the 

 extent to which the experiments were successful. Possibly 

 they were too technical to be of general use. ' 



No apology, therefore, is needed for placing on record the 

 result of experiments made during the last few months, which 

 suggest a method of continuous cultivation of plasmodia of 

 Badhamia utricularis, at once simple and practicable. Whether 

 this method, with or without modification, is applicable to 

 plasmodia of other species, I have not had an opportunity of 

 <letermining. Other workers may perhaps take up the suggestion 

 and carry the matter further. 



In the first place, I have found that the growth of a Plas- 

 modium of B. utricularis can be stimulated by the occasional 

 application of a mixture of ammonium phosphate * and cane 

 sugar, half an ounce of the phosphate and the same weight of 

 sugar being dissolved in a quart of water. 



In the second place, I find that the plasmodium will feed and 

 grow on bread kept moistened with water, especially if some of 

 the mixture described be added to it from time to time. 



The effect of the mixture seems to be both direct and indirect- 

 It appears to impart greater vigour to the plasmodium, so 

 increasing its feeding capacity ; and it also benefits the plas- 



* Since the above paper was read, Mr. James Grundy has informed mc 

 be has added calcium phosphate to the mixture with excellent results. 



