THE TERFAS OF AFRICA AND THE ORIENT 



well-planned or extensive introduction ex- 

 periments have as yet been attempted. 



TrufHe spores are not readily germinated, 

 and most, if not all of the cases of germina- 

 tion reported have proved erroneous. The 

 writer has been able to grow the mycelium 

 of Tuber melanosporum to a limited extent 

 in cultures emanating from fragments of 

 tissue. The medium employed was steril- 

 ized roots of Quercus ilex. 



The Terfas of Africa and the 



Orient 



The subterranean fungi properly known 

 to-day as terfas or kames, sometimes also 

 called false truffles, are almost wholly the 

 product of arid Mohammedan countries. 

 These are fungi which were well known to 

 the Greeks and to the Romans of imperial 

 times. Since in the Latin the designation 

 of these organisms is by the word tubera 

 they might well be called tubers, or truffles, 



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