ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 221 



Podosporiella Disease of Germinating Wheat.* — The fungus, 

 which causes a new disease of wheat, was found in the wheat-fields of 

 Salt Lake City by P. J. O'Grady. The wheat-kernels were infected, 

 and their contents destroyed at or near the time of germination, the 

 interior of the grains being filled by a dark brown septate mycelium. It 

 does not attack any other part of the host-plant, and cannot be con- 

 sidered a parasite, as it destroys only the contents of the grain. The 

 plant is still able to germinate, but the seedlings are weak, and seemingly 

 never recover vigour. The fungus was diagnosed and described as 

 Podosporiella verticiUata sp. n. Upright conidiphores bear at their tips 

 a whorl of elongate septate brown conidia. 



Dissemination of Endothia Spores.t — F. D. Heald, M. W. Gardner 

 and R. A. Studhalter have made experiments in the spread of the 

 chestnut-blight fungus. As a result of exposure-plates they have proved 

 detinitely that ascospores are in the air, and are carried varying distances 

 from their source ; they are much more abundant in wet weather, and 

 in some cases the maximum of ascospore expulsion occurs after the 

 cessation of rain. Pycnospores are not generally prevalent in the air 

 at any time, so that dissemination of the disease is mainly due to wind- 

 transport of the ascospores, and after each warm rainfall ascospores are 

 ejected and carried away in great numbers. 



Chrysomysca expansa Dietel.| — The type specimen of this species 

 was collected on Rhododendron japonicwn. Later it was found also on 

 other rhododendrons. K. Miyabe gives an account of the distribution 

 of the host-plants, and of the appearance of teleutospores and uredo- 

 spores, with the time of their development. It is a heteroecious form, 

 and the alternate aecidium or Peridermium stage grows on the leaves 

 of Pkea ajanensis, and is known as Peridermium Piceae-ho7idonensis. 

 This was proved by infection from host to host of the teleutospores and 

 {ecidiospores. 



Uredinese. — Marcel Mirande § has determined a new host for 

 Uromyces Lilii, viz. FritiUaria involucrata, a plant of S.E. France, 

 aecidia and spermogonia are formed on both surfaces of the leaves, but 

 more abundantly on the upper surface, in April and May, and are 

 scattered about the middle of the latter month. Uredospores do not 

 occur in this species. 



P. Dietel || gives an account of various experiments with the 

 germinating teleutospores of Paccinia Malvacearum. They require a 

 high degree of humidity ; in an atmosphere below saturation point there 

 was only a weak germination, and the germinating tubes remained 



* Phytopathology, v. (1915) pp. 32.3-5 (2 pis.). 



t Journ. Agric. Res. Washington, iii. (1915) pp. 493-526. See also Bot. 

 Centralbl., cxxix. (1915) pp. 256-8. 



J Bot. Mag. Tokyo, xxix. (1915) pp. 258-65. 



§ C.R. Soc. Biol. Paris, Ixxviii. (1915) pp. 580-1. 



II Centralbl. Bakt., xlii. (1915) pp. 698-705. See also Bot. Centralbl., cxxix. 

 .(1915) pp. 27-8. 



