314 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



and though they may attain their full growth, the grain is either unde- 

 veloped or very much shrivelled. In other cases the ears are never 

 formed. The base of the plant is generally much blackened and the 

 roots have a woolly appearance. The disease is not uncommon, and may 

 do great damage. 



F. W. Neger * describes a species of GnomonieJla that was parasitic 

 on the leaves of the alder, giving them a white appearance that sugges- 

 ted mildew. The mycelium was found in the mesophyll and the epi- 

 dermis of the leaf ; there was no conidial stage. The perithecia of the 

 fungus developed after a time on the under surface of the leaves ; it 

 was diagnosed as a new species, G. albo-maculans. 



Lichens. 

 (By A. LoREAiN Smith, F.L.S.) 



Lichens of North-west Germany, and of the German Islands. f 

 H. Standstede has given new and minute descriptions of the species 

 collected, with particular attention to pycnidia and other details ; thus 

 an important contribution to lichenology is provided. Several new 

 species and forms are described. 



Lichens from Montevideo.}: — G. Lindau has determined a small 

 collection of lichens from the Andes ; among them is a new and interest- 

 ing Parmelia. The narrow lobes grow under and over each other, form- 

 ing a matted structure. The under surface is very dark and produces 

 numerous rhizoids with tufted ends. The anatomy of the thallus is 

 minutely described. Pycnidia were present but were not sporiferous ; 

 there were no apothecia. 



Schizophyta. 

 Schizomycetes. 



Bacillus Casei filans.§ — C. Gorini lays stress on the point that in 

 a study of the lactic acid Ijacilli, the nature of the physiological charac- 

 ters of the organisms concerned should be considered to be no less 

 important than the morphological differences from the point of view of 

 classification. The organism descriljed in the present paper has the 

 property of producing a condition of stringiness in milk. This condition 

 is transient, occurring at the time when clotting is just commencing. 

 The bacillus varies in length usually from 7-9 /x, but long filamentous 

 forms may occur. It is Gram-positive and shows granules. It is non- 

 sporing, non-motile, and a facultative anaerobe. It grows best in milk 

 at a temperature of 42-45° C. ; under these circumstances fine threads 

 appear in the fluid in 6-7 hours, and a clot is formed after 10 hours. 

 The organism is a very powerful lactic acid fermenter. 



* Naturw. Zeitschr. Forst.-Landw., x. (1912) pp. 345-50. See also Ann. Mvcol., 

 X. (1912) p. 602. 



t Abhandl. Natur. Ver. Bremen, xxi. (1912) pp. 9-243. 



X Hedwigia, liii. (1912) pp. 41-5 (2 ligs.). 



§ Centralbl. Bakt., 2te Abt. Orig., xxxviii. (1913) pp. 1-3. 



