676 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



includes the germinations of the spores, the inoculation experiments that 

 have been carried out, and the time and manner of infection. Both 

 McAlpine and Schellenberg give complete bibliographies. 



I. Pole Evans * gives notes on maize-smut or " brand " caused by 

 Sorosporium reilianum. It breaks out on the surface of the infected 

 parts as a black dusty mass. The spores germinate readily in fresh 

 stabk-manure, and a heavily manured crop thus runs considerable risk 

 of being smutted. All young and tender parts of the maize-plant can 

 be infected. 



Smut-infection Experiments. f — As a result of a long series of culture 

 experiments, O.Munerate comes to the following conclusions. 1. With- 

 out taking other factors into account, the condition of the temperature 

 at the time of sowing by retarding or accelerating growth-changes 

 exercises considerable influence on the susceptibility of the plant to in- 

 fection. 2. The presence of fungus-spores on the seed does not always 

 cause the development of the fungus. 3. Early sowing of autumn corn 

 and late sowing of spring corn generally procure healthy plants, whether 

 the seeds are infected or not. 4. Late sowing in autumn and early sow- 

 ing in spring nearly always result in a diseased crop — unless weather 

 conditions are exceptionally favourable. 5. Soaking the seed in some 

 fungicide will, as a rule, preserve the young seedling from the disease. 



Note on the Biology of Septobasidium.l — The species of this genus 

 are confined to tropical countries, and encrust stems or leaves of living 

 plants. From an examination of a long series of specimens, T. Petch has 

 determined that they are parasites on scale-insects. One purple-black 

 species, fairly common on tea, grows over the insect Chionaspis hiclavis. 

 Petch found that a North American, fungus, known as TheUphora licheni- 

 cola, also showed a colony of scale-insects beneath the subiculum. He 

 compares the genus with Hypocrella, a Pyrenomycete. 



Notes on Larger Fungi. — N. Patouillard§ has found among the 

 fungi of New Caledonia a species of Gallacm, a Gasteromycete, of which 

 only one species was previously known. It has the appearance of a tuber, 

 but it was found on the surface of the soil. The new genus is near to 

 Hysterangium. 



A. de Jaczewski || writes on two forms of TthypMllus that he has lately 

 come across. One, I. imperialis, was first found in Hungary. It is 

 frequent in America though rare in Europe, and grows on sandy soil. 

 It differs in several particulars from /. impudicus, in the colour and form 

 of the egg, size of the spores, etc. The other, /. amuremis, is a new 

 species from Russia in Asia ; it is a small form. 



L. Lutz^f gives some notes on Ozonium. His observations confirm 

 those of Saccardo and of Plowright, who had discovered its connexion 



* Agric. Journ. Union S. Africa, 1. (1911) p. 697 (1 pi.), 

 t Atti Reale Accad. Lincei, cccviii. (1911) pp. 835-40. 

 J Ann. of Bot., xxv. (1911) p. 843. 



§ Bull. Soc. Myeol. Prance, xxviii. (1911) pp. 34-8 (2 figs.). 

 1 Bull. Soc, Mvcol. France, xxviii. (1911) pp. 81-9 (1 pi.). 

 «|f Bull. Soc. Mycol. France, xxviii. (1911) pp. 110-13 (4 figs.). 



