ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 197 



to cellulose, which then dissolves away. The mycelium was examined 

 for enzymes, and was found to contain diastase, invertase, tyrosinase, and 

 emulsin. Cultures were made on blocks of wood, on gelatin, agar, etc., 

 but though the mycelium grew freely no fructifications were formed. 

 Hyphas in hanging-drop cultures broke up into oidia. 



Diseases of Plants. — Samples of wheat-grain sent to Kew* for 

 examination were found to germinate badly owing to the presence 

 of the fungus Cladosporium graminum, otherwise known as Scoleco- 

 trichum graminum, and long recognized as a disease of cereals. It 

 occurs on the leaves, leaf -sheaths and ears, but except in the latter case 

 does little injury. In some cases, that is, when the ear is attacked at 

 an early stage, it is arrested in growth and becomes blackened. Occa- 

 sionally only the chaff is affected. When the seed failed to germinate 

 it was found that the embryo was permeated with the mycelium of the 

 fungus which had been dormant in the pericarp of the grain. The 

 fungus forms minute sclerotia which function as a resting-stage. They 

 remain in a passive condition during winter and germinate in spring, 

 forming first minute secondary conidia in chains. These conidia infect 

 the green plant. 



Chestnut-blight f disease due to the fungus Endothia parasitica has 

 been very serious in America in recent years, and efforts have been made 

 to trace the origin of the fungus which appeared rather suddenly and 

 spread with great rapidity. 0. L. Shear and Neil E. Stevens consider 

 that they have got sufficient proof that it came from China. They have 

 received from Meyer specimens of diseased trees from the Chili province 

 in that country which agrees in its diagnostic characters with the 

 American form. Cultures of the fungus from China and from America 

 were made on corn-meal and potato-agar, and the resulting growths were 

 identical in every respect. Further information and photographs will 

 be published later. 



The same authors % have published elaborate descriptions of cultures 

 of Endothia radicalis (the European fungus) and of E. parasitica the 

 American disease. They found that in pure cultures they possess con- 

 stant and easily recognized characters on various media of which potato 

 agar and corn-meal are the best. The most distinguishing character of 

 E. parasitica is the peculiar granular glistening light orange-coloured 

 surface growth produced at the bottom of potato-agar cultures. The 

 orange colour of the mycelium appears in three or four days. 



A discussion § on the occurrence of Hemileia vastatrix in Africa is 

 published. The writer considers that the history of the fungus there 

 supports the view that it is endemic and not introduced. It occurs on 

 " wild " or indigenous coffee as well as on cultivated plants. H. vastatrix 

 is the only species of the genus known to attack coffee plants. 



* Journ. Board of Agric, xx. (1914) pp. 894-6 (1 pi.). 

 t Science, xxxviii. (1913) pp. 295-7. 

 t Bur. Plant Ind., Circular No. 31 (1913) 18 pp. 



§ Kew Bull., No. 5 (1913) pp. 168-71. See also Bot. Centralbl., cxxv. (1914) 

 p. 115. 



