FOREWORD 



Since the days of Pasteur the necessity of pure cultures in the 

 study of bacteria and fungi has been a truism, and the success of 

 pure culture methods is also universally known. Although the 

 same methods have been applied to the growing of microscopic 

 algae for over a half-century by several workers, and although 

 there have been fair to excellent results, it cannot be said up to 

 now that the pure culture technique has played as important a 

 role in phycology as it has ift bacteriology and mycology. 



It seems to me that we are now on the threshold of a new 

 era in the study of chlorophyll-bearing microorganisms, how- 

 ever, and that the years to come will witness a furtherance of 

 our knowledge concerning algae which will parallel the amazing 

 progress made in the study of fungi in the first half of the present 

 century. 



This will be due mainly to the more generalized use of pure 

 cultures, to the extension of that method to a number of genera 

 which have never been so cultured before, and to the application 

 of practical and tested methods of large-scale culturing of species 

 of economic importance. Furthermore, as it has in the past, the 

 culturing of both microscopic and macroscopic forms will con- 

 tinue to clarify problems related to taxonomy, morphology , phys- 

 iology, and life cycles of algae. 



There is not much ris\ in predicting that some microscopic 

 algae eventually will prove as important to mankjnd as Saccharo 

 myces, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Streptomyces. // this little 

 book, however incomplete, contributes toward the advent of that 

 day, the authors and editors will feel completely repaid. 



Jules Brunel, President 



Phycological Society of America 



April 21, ig^o 



YU 



