230 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



secure a more equal temperature and supply of moisture. 

 The temperature of the room has not varied much from 

 70° F. 



Cultures of most of the smuts have been made both in 

 water and in nutrient solutions. I have used almost always 

 the modified Cohn solution or Pasteur solution used by Kel- 

 lerman and Swingle,* and others, for this purpose, and some- 

 times a decoction of manure such as Brefeld used in most of 

 his cultures of the Ustilagineae. Usually check cultures of 

 corn smut were made with the others in order to detect any 

 irreo-ularities in them. The corn smut being common and its 

 germination well known it was well adapted to be used as a 

 standard. 



The drawings have been rather carefully made and are not 

 intended simply to illustrate the descriptions, but to be 

 equally prominent with them. Indeed they may show more 

 sometimes than I have attempted to write. 



The nomenclature used is mostly that of Saccardo's Syl- 

 loge Fungorum and the arrangement much the same with the 

 newer species added at the end. Wherever possible I have 

 looked up the citations to original descriptions and compared 

 them with the specimens, indicating them thus ( I). 



I have considered it unnecessary to describe germinations 

 by other investigators where I have not repeated them myself, 

 but in most cases have indicated the literature where previous 

 germinations are recorded. 



I am indebted to Prof. Hitchcock of the Kansas Agricul- 

 tural College, with whom I have done most of this work, and 

 to Dr. Trelease of the Missouri Botanical Garden, for sug- 

 gestions and advice and for kindly supplying facilities which 

 have made it possible to do the work here presented. I 

 also wish to thank Prof. J. B. Ellis, Mr. Elam Bartholomew 

 of Rockport, Kan., and Mr. George L. Clothier, my suc- 

 cessor as assistant botanist in the Kansas Experiment Station, 

 and others for the interest they have shown in sending me 

 specimens and communicating notes of value in connection 

 with my studies. 



* Second Annual Rept. Kas. Exp. Sta., p. 230. 



