164 



{Mycdia) composed of elongate cells attached end to end, with 

 occasional lateral mycelia of similar structure. After a certain 

 period of growth some of the mycelia upon reaching favorable 

 conditions, such as air in some, fructif}^ This fructification 

 consists of the formation of a large number of minute sacks 

 packed full of still smaller granules called spores. The spores 

 in a way correspond to the seeds of higher jilants. They are 

 very light and extremely small, microscopical, so that when re- 

 leased from the enclosing sack they are blown about by the 

 wind or transported from place to place by insects, birds and 

 similar agencies. After lodging, favorable conditions, usually 

 moisture and Avarmth, cause the spores to germ.inate and re- 

 sume growth in form of mycelia. For nourishment fungi de- 

 pend either upon living plants and animals or upon decaying 

 vegetable and animal products. In the former instance they 

 are classed as parasites and are regarded injurious or bene- 

 ficial, depending upon whether they attack plants or animals 

 useful to man or injurious to his interests. Thus the fungus 

 diseases that attack our mangoes or coffee, for example, are in- 

 jurious, while those destroying Syphanta or Japanese Beetles, 

 are beneficial. 



APPEAEANCE OF FUNGUS. 



Just Avhere spores must lodge upon the Japanese Beetle in 

 order to inoculate it is not yet definitely' ascertained. We 

 must assume that the germinating spores enter the body of the 

 beetle either through the movith or the spiracles, or pores, by 

 means of which the insect breathes, one of which is generally 

 located on each side of each ring of the insect body. In a 

 message recently received from Dr. N. A. Cobb, Plant Patho- 

 logist of the Hawaiian Sugar Planters' Association Experi- 

 ment Station, who generously devotes some of his leisure mo- 

 ments to examine fungus material for us, he states that while 

 he found mycelia within the general body cavity of the insect, 

 no traces of the fungus were observed, although loolced for, in 

 the alimentary canal. This Avould seem to indicate tliat the 

 Japanese Beetle is not infected l)y means of its food. The fact 

 is that, wherever the fungus enters the insect body, it propa- 



