328 SUMMARY OF CLTKRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



ing contamination of the new crops. Infection takes place while the 

 €ereals are in the seedling stage, but the disease is not evident until the 

 time of grain formation. Covered smuts of barley and loose smuts of 

 oats may be killed out by steeping the seed-grains in formalin or copper 

 sulphate, concerning which instructions are given. Loose smut of 

 barley is more difficult to deal with, as the fungus is embedded in the 

 •embryo, but this type can be countered by the hot-water treatment, 

 which is also explained. A. L. S. 



Hymenomycetes,— E. T. Harper {Mycologia, 1918, 10, 53-7, 3 pis.) 

 has published a descriptive account of American species of the " Clavaria 

 fistulosa " group. They are composed of hollow upright clubs mainly 

 Tinbranched. 



W. A. MuRRiLL {Mycologia, 1918, 10, 62-85) completes his survey 

 of Tropical North America Agaricaceae, taking account of eight different 

 genera. The plants were collected in the West Indian Islands, Mexico, 

 etc. A number of species are new to science. 



Gertrude S. Burlingham gives diagnostic descriptions of four new 

 species of Russula collected in Massachusetts. One grew in a swamp, 

 the others under trees. 



W. A. MuRRiLL {Mycologia, 1918, 10, 107-110, 1 pi.) publishes a 

 coloured plate and descriptions of a series of woody fungi, Polyporiis, 

 Trametes and Dsedalea. Most of the species described are common on 

 dead timber. A. L. S. 



Study of Tricholoma. — L. Maire {Rev. Gener. Bot., 1917, 29, 

 S50-1) has issued a synthetic study of this genus. He gives an account 

 of the limits of the genus, its affinity with other genera, and the varia- 

 tions of form included therein. He has placed in Tricholoma a number 

 of species hitherto regarded as Colly biee. The notice of the work is 

 published by Leon Dufour. A. L. S. 



Cultures of Wood-rotting Fungi on Artificial Media. — ^Y. H. 

 Long and R. M. Harsch {Journ. Agric. Research, 1918, 12, 33-82) had 

 two objects in view in undertaking this work : (1) a method by which 

 various wood-rotting fungi might Tdc identifiable by cultures, and (2) a 

 method by which sporophores might be induced to form, as these are 

 undeveloped very often in diseased timber. The paper published is 

 only a preliminary one. They found that the macroscopic characters of 

 value in determination by cultures were, among others, rapidity of 

 growth, colour of mycelium, texture of the aerial mycelium, colour effects 

 on the medium, and comparative rate of growth between aerial and sub- 

 merged mycelium ; the microscopic characters included septation, 

 branching, clamp connexion, size and colour of hyphaj, with spore 

 polymorphism. The data acquired are set forth in a series of tables. 

 External factors, such as light and culture medium, are discussed. 



A. L. S. 



Honey-dew Fungi.— F. W. Neger {Flora, 1817, 10, 67-139, 

 31 figs.) gives a study of the dark-coloured epiphytic fungi that live on 

 the honey-dew of various leaves— lime, oak, etc. Generally they are 



