404 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



progamete is also formed by the terminal enlargement of the more 

 vigorous branch. In each of these progametes a transverse septum is 

 formed ; the contents of the two then become united through the 

 disappearance of the intervening wall. 



Life-history and Cytology of a new Olpidium.* — The new 

 fungus, Olpidium Vicise, is a troublesome parasite of Vicia unijuga. 

 S. Kusano has collected material at every stage of developrhent, and 

 has given a very complete account of the whole life-history. He was 

 able to observe the zoospores escaping from the sporangia, and the copu- 

 lation of these spores when they reach a creeping amoeboid stage. 

 Either the zygote thus formed, or the asexual zoospore that has not 

 fused with another, infect again the host-plant. A description is given 

 of the formation of the zoosporangium which fills up the host-cells and 

 forms one or more exit tubes, and of the process of nuclear division 

 and spore-formation. Kusano considers that his results prove that the 

 Chytridiales are not a degenerate form, but are the lowest class in the 

 progressive phylogenetic series of the fungi. 



Synchytria in the vicinity of Stanford University.f — J. McMurphy 

 has been collecting and experimenting with species of Synchytriwn 

 parasitic on the higher plants. He found a species growing on the 

 leaves and stems of Ajnsinckia intermedia, which proved to be new. 

 It was not unlike S. 2^^pittctt2im which grows on Erodium, but all 

 attempts to infect from one to the other failed. He gives descriptions 

 and notes of four different species. 



Study of Chytridineae.J — W. Bally has reviewed work done recently 

 on the cytology of these lower fungi. He concludes that the Chytri- 

 dinese should be regarded as the simplest form of the Phycomycetes, 

 and related to the Protococcacese through the Endosphserise on one 

 hand, on the other to the Sporozose. He gives a scheme of descent 

 according to the phylogeny of the group as understood by him, and 

 discusses the various phenomena of growth and development in the 

 different genera. 



Study of Phytophthora infestans.§ — G. Pethybridgeand P. Murphy 

 have published the results of a prolonged study of the resting-spores 

 of the potato-disease fungus. Clinton had announced the discovery of 

 oospores in pure cultures, and the authors of this paper have confirmed 

 Clinton's work. They experimented with many different culture media, 

 but they found that Quaker oats agar gave the best results, as oogonia 

 were formed in great abundance. These arise as terminal swellings on 

 a hypha ; in time it takes a brown colour, and inside them are formed 

 the oospores. Antheridia are formed on neighbouring hyphse ; it is 

 undecided whether any sexual process takes place. 



* Journ. Coll. Agric. Imp. Univ. Tokyo, iv. (1912) pp. 141-99 (3 pis. and 1 fig.), 

 t Dudley Memorial Volume. Stanford Univ. California, 1913, pp. 111-14 

 (2 pis.). X Mycol. Centralbl., ii. (1913) pp. 289-97. 



§ Proc. Roy. Dublin Soc, xiii. pp. 566-88 (2 pis.). 



