226 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



Assimilation of Atmospheric Nitrogen by a Turf Fungus.*— Ch. 

 Ternetz found that, after |carefully cleaning the roots of such plants as 

 Erica carnea, Call mm vulgaris, \' arc in in in Vitis-idcea, etc., and placing 

 them on agar-agar, a pycnidia-forming fungus was always produced. 

 The same fungus appeared in an agar-agar culture of crumbled turf. It 

 was impossible to decide if this was the fungus that formed the myco- 

 rhiza of the roots. Experiments were conducted on a substratum 

 wanting in nitrogen, and it was found that the fungus not only grew 

 luxuriously, but that it gained in nitrogen. 



Poisoning by Fungi.t — J. Hockauf discusses the whole question of 

 fungus poisoning, the difficulty of determining the species of larger 

 fungi, when one realises the great variability of form, and the chemical 

 changes that may exist alongside of this variability. CUtocybe nebularis 

 is a recognised edible in Munich ; in other countries it is considered 

 dangerous, and so with other species and varieties. The author cites 

 many cases of poisoning, but data are wanted as to the age and con- 

 dition of the fungi. 



H. Steinvorth $ publishes new observations on poisoning by plants, 

 the first chapter dealing with fungi. He cites cases where Amanita 

 phalloides, A. rabescens, A. pantherinus, Russula rubra, and Boletus 

 Satanas, collected in the neighbourhood of Hanover, were eaten with 

 impunity. 



Diseases of Sugar Beet in Bohemia.§ — Franz Bubak found on 

 the leaves of the Beet Gercospora beticola and Ramularia Betce, the latter 

 new to Bohemia, and gives rise to large greyish or brownish spots on the 

 leaves. PhyUostida Beta is constantly found on the same spots, and the 

 writer considers they are forms of the same fungus, some Pyrenomycete. 



He has also || devoted some attention to the disease caused to the 

 roots by Rhizoctonia violacea. It is spread largely by the wind carrying 

 small particles of earth to wdiich are attached pieces of the mycelium of 

 the fungus. The spores are still unknown. He gives an account of 

 the various remedies tried to combat the disease. 



Biological Species of Parasitic Fungi, and the Development of 

 New Forms.l — Ed. Fischer sketches the history of Puccinia graminis, 

 and gives an account of Eriksson's work on the different biological 

 species within the one morphological species. He states his belief that 

 they have all come from the one form, and that the extent to which 

 such specialisation arises testifies to the age of the parasite. Thus the 



* Ber. Peutsch. Bot. Ges., xxii. (19(H) pp. 267-74. See also Ann. Mycol., ii. 

 (1904) pp. 557-8. 



f Wiener Klin. Wochenschr., No. 26 (Wien, 1904), 19 pp. See also Hedwigia, 

 xliv. (1904)Beibl., p. 14. 



t .Tahr. Naturwiss. Ver. Lunoburg, xxi. (Luneberg, 1904) pp. 77-S2. See also 

 Hedwigia, xliv. (1904) Beibl., p. 18. 



§ Zeitschr. Zuckerind. Bohmen Prog., 1904, Heft 7 (4 pp.). See also Hedwigia, 

 xliv. (1904) Beibl., p. 28. 



|| Tom. cit., 2 pp. See also Hedwigia, xliv. (1904) Beibl., p. 29. 



if Atti Soc. Elevet. Sci. Nat. Locarno. 86 me seseione, Zurigo, 1904, pp. 49-62. See 

 also Hedwigia, xliv. (1904) Beibl., pp. 12-13. 



