78 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEAltCHES RELATING TO 



the penultimate cell of a row of about nine cells ; it is surrounded by 

 vegetative hypbue, which form the cortex and the paraphyses. The 

 ascogenous hyphas are large and branch profusely, and the asci are 

 formed at the ends of these branches, a hook being previously formed 

 with fusion of nuclei. No fusion of nuclei was observed in either the 

 ascogonium or ascogenous hyph», except where two nuclei fuse to form 

 the primary nucleus of an ascus. The nuclei of the ascogonium and 

 ascogenous hyphfe are similar except in size, and possess five chromo- 

 somes. The first division in the ascus is heterotypic. Synizesis is 

 produced by the contraction of a single spireme. The second and third 

 divisions in the ascus are similar to those in the ascogonium. The 

 spore-wall does not appear to be formed by the fusion of astral rays. 



Schizosaccharomyces octosporus in America.* — W. C. Coker and 

 Louise Wilson obtained the above yeast from Delaware grapes bought 

 in Chapel Hill Market. They were put in a test-tube and covered 

 with distilled water. Slow fermentation began, and in three weeks a 

 precipitate which had formed was examined and showed the yeast in 

 every stage of vegetative and reproductive development. The authors 

 figure and describe instances of ])udding, the new cell being cut off and 

 then separated from the parent hypha. They also followed the various 

 stages of fusion and ascospore formation. It is the first time that a 

 species of this genus has been found on the American continent. 



Beer-yeast as a Food Substance.! — ^F. Hayduch states that 

 beer-yeast is cultivated in excess in German breweries, and is used as a 

 substitute for meat extract. The bitter ingredients are removed by 

 drying and then treating with moist heat. It is brought into commerce 

 in the form of thin cakes, etc. A comparison is made as to the 

 nutritive value of the yeast as compared with meat. 



Distinction between True and False Truffles. J ^ — It is often 

 necessary to pronounce upon fungi that are offered for sale in markets 

 as specimens of edible Tuberacea^. 0. Falk recommends the micro- 

 scopic examination of the spores as an unmistakable standard of deter- 

 mination. The species of Tuber differ from each other in size and 

 oriiamentation of the spores, and from Scleroderma vulgare, which has 

 very much smaller and much darker spores. Tuber sestivum, the most 

 prized of all truffles, has the largest spores, 25-34 yu, long, 21-28 /x wide. 



Peculiar Spore-forms of Botrytis.§— Reginald Price found on the 

 sclerotia of Umbellifer stalks, peculiar conidial growths, in addition to 

 the usual BotrijUs growths. AYhen the sclerotia were teased out, thick- 

 walled spherical spore-like bodies were found much larger than the 

 ordinary conidia, and borne quite near the surface of the sclerotium, on 

 se])tate hyphte. Sometimes the hypha3 grew beyond the end of the spore, 



* Mycologia, iii. (1911) pp. 273-7 (1 pi. and 2 figs.). 



t Die Umschau, xv. (1911) pp. 195-7. See also Hedwigia, li. (1911) pp. 106-7. 

 X Zeitschr. Unters. Nahrungs. Geuussmitt., xxi, (1911) p. 209. See also Bot. 

 Ceutralbl., cxvii. (1911) p. 378. 



§ New Phytologist, x. (1911) pp. 255-9. 



