692 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



wound such as would be caused by a decaying branch. The fungi 

 causing the formation are Stereum hirsutum and possibly Xenodochus 

 (?) ligniperda. The latter consists of stout coloured hyphae, of which 

 the fructification is unknown. The author gives an account of various 

 other fungi that attack beech wood, and recommends suitable remedies. 



Influence of Growth Products of Fungi on their Further De- 

 velopment.* — Jacob Nikitinsky has studied this question in regard to 

 the growth of species of Penicillium, Mucor, Aspergillus and Saccharo- 

 myces. He gives the solutions used as culture media, and the different 

 salts employed to vary these media. He found, in all the culture con- 

 ditions tested, that changes were induced by the growth of the fungus 

 that had a considerable influence on its later growth. These results can 

 be counteracted by the addition of neutralising agents such as ammonia, 

 salts, etc. A deterrent of growth is produced by an acid condition of 

 the culture solution, the acidity being due to the production of inorganic 

 acids or free oxalic acid extruded in the metabolism of the hyphal cells. 

 Other hurtful products arise by the splitting of glucosides. There are 

 also unknown products that are harmful to continued growth, and some 

 fungi are more susceptible than others to these influences. Extended 

 tables are given of the different culture experiments. 



Conditions of Colour Formation in Fusarium. f — Ernst A. Bessey 

 gives an historical review of previous work on this subject ; his object has 

 been to verify the results already published by various workers, and to 

 advance further our knowledge of the subject. The colours produced 

 by the different fungi tested are chiefly red and orange. The red colour 

 he found to be an acid which with different bases formed blue or violet 

 salts insoluble in alcohol. Under the influence of light the same species 

 of Fusarium produced an orange colour, of which the exact chemical 

 nature is unknown. Fusarium culmorum forms a yellow pigment in an 

 acid medium, and reddish-violet if the medium gave a neutral or alkaline 

 reaction. The acid form appears to be a weak organic acid with diffi- 

 culty soluble in water or alcohol. The alkaline form dissolved in 

 alkaline solutions. The author gives the conditions other than the 

 media in which these colours were formed, and also the conditions that 

 hinder their production. 



Seed-fungus of Lolium temulentum.f — This fungus is of universal 

 occurrence in Europe. G. Lindau has also found it in seeds of extra- 

 European origin. He secured some old seeds from Egyptian tombs, and 

 in all cases he found the fungus in them in great abundance. He ex- 

 amined recent seeds from the same locality with the same result. He 

 gives an account of the microscopic appearance of the fungus. 



Buchnek, E., & J. M ei sen hammer— Die chemischen Vorgange bei der Alko- 

 holischen Garung. (The chemistry of alcoholic fermentation.) 



Ber. Deutsch. Chem. Geseli, xxxvii. (1904) p. 417. See also 



Ann. Mycol, ii. (1904) pp. 385-6. 



* Jahrb. Wiss. Bot., xl. (1904) pp. 1-93. 



t Flora, xciii. (1904) pp. 301-33. 



% SB. K. Preuss. Akad. Wiss., xxxv. (1901) pp. 1031-6 (2 figs.). 



