THE DESTRUCTION OF WOOD BY FUNGI 367 



conducting elements. The penetration of the h^phae in the 

 wood from tracheide to tracheide through tiny holes made in 

 the walls was observed. Microchemical tests were found to 

 indicate that juices excreted by the fungus bring about the 

 removal of the cellulose from the wood cell-walls. With this 

 chemical change is associated the mechanical weakening of the 

 rotting woodwork. An account was given of the structure of 

 the well-known fruit-bodies, and germination of the spores was 

 described for the first time. Much of Hartig's work was devoted 

 directly to the economic aspect of Dry Rot, and his book con- 

 tains a number of suggestions upon the best means of protecting 

 house-timber from the ravages of the fungus. 



Marshall Ward 1 wrote a note upon " Penicillium as a wood- 

 destroying Fungus." In a paper " On the Biology of Stereum 

 hirsutum " he 2 described pure cultures of the fungus from the 

 spore to the fruit-body, and gave an account of the changes it 

 produces in wood. 



A pure culture of a wood-destroying fungus, Collybia velutipes, 

 was made by Constantin and Matruchot, 3 and later also by 

 Biffen. 4 In a more recent paper by Falck, 5 a description with 

 photographs is given of pure cultures of Collybia velutipes, 

 Hypholoma fasciculare and Phlcebia merismoides. The fruit-bodies 

 were grown from oidia, which were produced by the breaking up 

 of the mycelium grown in pure cultures from spores. 



In a paper " On the Biology of Bulgaria polymorpha, Wett," 

 Biffen 6 has described the delignification of the cell-walls and 

 removal of the middle lamellae from the wood of the Oak by 

 the fungus. 



Czapek 7 has made an important contribution to our know- 

 ledge of the enzymes of wood-destroying fungi. He has ex- 

 tracted an enzyme from Merulius lacrimans, which he states 

 brings about the delignification of the wood. He regards a 

 lignified cell-wall as consisting, in part at least, of an ester of 

 cellulose and hadromal, 8 which can be split up into its con- 



1 



Marshall Ward, Ann. of Botany, 1898, vol. 12. 



Ibid., Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. 1897, vol. 189. 



Constantin et Matruchot, Comfit. Rend., 1894, t. 119. 



Biffen, Journ. Linn. Soc, 1899, v °l- 34- 



Richard Falck, Beitr. z. Biol. d. Pflanzen, Cohn, 1902, Bd. 8. 



Biffen, Ann. of Botany, 1901, vol. 15. 



Czapek, Ber. d. D. Bot. Gesell, 1899, Bd. 18. 



Ibid., Zeitschr.f. fihvsiologischc C/iemie, 1899, Bd. 27. 



