41 6 Bulletin 315 



should we expect to meet with considerable difficulty in isolating soil fungi, 

 because of the lack of suitable media and other environmental factors! 

 The acidity or alkalinity of the media, the kind of media as to nitrogen 

 source, carbon source, and so forth, temperature, moisture, supply of 

 oxygen, and various other factors determine to what extent cultural work 

 ends in success. 



Again, difficulty arises in taking the soil sample and in subsequently 

 handling it so that contaminations are practically eliminated. There is 

 no reason to presume that a fungus living saprophytically in the soil may 

 not live elsewhere; in fact, the contrary is now known to be the case. 

 If we are to speak of the fungous flora of the soil, no species should be 

 grouped here unless evidence sufficient to substantiate the statement is 

 at hand, because in this connection we are dealing with the very important 

 item of habitat. 



HISTORICAL 



With the foregoing brief statements of some of the principal difficulties 

 confronting the investigator of soil fungi, it has seemed desirable to give 

 an historical review of the technic employed by previous workers in this 

 field, together with their results, before taldng up for consideration the 

 writer's individual work. 



Prior to 1886 there is practically nothing worthy of our attention, so 

 far as isolation of soil fungi is concerned. Before that date it was generally 

 recognized that the soil contained many of the lower fungi, but that was 

 about the extent of the knowledge at that time. As to descriptions of 

 species, there were probably very few of any value. 



Adametz ('86) was the first real investigator who attempted to isolate 

 soil forms and to give them names and descriptions. He isolated 

 bacteria, yeasts, and molds, but we are interested only in that he isolated 

 eleven fungi, among which were four yeasts (including Monilia Candida). 

 The purpose of his isolations was to obtain species for biochemical studies. 



The soil samples used for his isolation work represented both sandy and 

 loamy tilled land of the experimental fields. One sample was taken at 

 the surface, and a second directly beneath at a depth of 25 to 30 cm. The 

 original plan was to keep the fungi, isolated from the two kinds of soil, 

 separate; but after some time this idea was abandoned because he found 

 that the two soils harbored the same species. 



The sterilized reagent flasks (including sterile media presumably, 

 although this is not stated), closed with sterilized cotton plugs, were 

 inoculated in the field where the samples were taken. P'urther details 



('86) Adametz, Leopold. Untersuchungen ii. d. Niederen Pilze der Ackerkrume. 

 Inaug. Diss. 1-78. pi. 2. 1886. 



