ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC, 223 



F. I). Frorame * has publisbed observations on the negative 

 heliotropism of uredospore germ-tubes. He found that those of 

 Paccinia Rhanini grew away from the hght ; when germinated in 

 darkness, the tubes spread on all sides. Fromme suggests that this 

 character may be of advantage in the many-pored nredospores in 

 inducing germination from the side of the spore in shadow on the leaf, 

 and thus rendering penetration of the host more direct and certain. 



Fungi producing Heart-rot of Apple-trees.f — B. 0. Dodge 

 publishes results of his observations on this subject. He found apple- 

 trees in old untended orchards with the heart-wood completely 

 destroyed, though the tree was still fruit-bearing. One of the fungi 

 identified as causing mischief was Polyporus admirahllis. It was first 

 found growing out from a small spot in the sap-wood, and the line of 

 decay was traced into the heart-wood, which was badly rotted. \'arious 

 forms of this funtrus was found at different localities, and another 

 species, identified as Spoiigipellis galactinus, was also proved to cause 

 mischief. It grows inside partially decayed trunks, ,or emerges from 

 knot holes in living trees. Polyporus sjmmeus var. maJkolus was 

 recognized by C. G. Lloyd as the cause of heart-rot in apple-trees of 

 New England, but further study and inoculation experiments are 

 necessary. 



Fungi parasitic on Scale-insects in Formosa. | — K. Miyabe and 

 K. Sawada describe seven species of these special fungi belonging to the 

 genera, Aschersonia Sphserostilbe and Opiiionectria, three of them new to 

 science. They discuss the history and biology of these '" coccophilous " 

 fungi. One of them, Sphserostilbe coccophila Tul., which has the widest 

 distribution, is a natural enemy of Aspidioius perniciosus and of Diaspis 

 pentayona. Of the two species of Aschersonia recorded which are 

 parasitic as the scale-insects of orange-trees, one, A. marginata, is 

 termed the " black fungus," and the other, A. Aleyrodes, is termed the 

 red fungus. Another new species, A. Suzulrii, was found parasitic on 

 Aspidioius Aurantii. Microcera Fugikuroi sp. n., and two species of 

 Ophionectria, complete the list. They are all carefully described — the 

 two latter, also, on orange-tree insects. 



Plants Immune to Fungi. § — W. S. Hill gives an account of 

 Prairie-grass {Bronius unioJoides), which is the most valuable of the 

 brome-grasses in New Zealand from an agricultural point of view, and 

 a very superior type has been isolated which is immune to the 

 Smut fungus, Ustilago hromivora. The plants yield a higher per- 

 centage of leaf, and are later in flowering than ordinary samples. 



The second instance of immunity is a vine, known as Yidadico, and 

 is strongly recommended by J. Fiso Torres,]] as being resistant to Vine 



* Amer. Journ. Bot., ii. (1915) pp. 82-5 (2 figs.). 



t Mycologia, viii. (1915) pp. 5-15 (4 pis.). 



X Journ. Coll. Agric. Sapporo, Japan, v. (1913) pp. 73 90 (2 pis.). 



§ Journ. Agric. Wellington, New Zealand, x. (1915) pp. 313-19 (4 figs.). See 

 also Bull. Agric. Intell. Rome, vi. (1915) p. 1478. 



II Resumen Agric. Barcelona, 1915, pp. 436-8. See also Bull. Agric. Intell. 

 Rome, vi. (191-5) pp. 1536-7. 



