THYSIOLOGY AND MORPHOLOGY OF CALIFORNIA HEPATIC^ 4I 



The spores in the unbalanced culture solution germinated 

 within six da3's after those in the normal Knop's solution, which 

 would indicate the existence of some stimulating factor in that 

 solution. Another lot of distilled water was then prepared by 

 allowing the first fourth or fifth part to distil as waste water, thus 

 getting rid of the larger part of the volatile substances. Only 

 the middle three fifths was saved and this was redistilled in the 

 same manner. The best portion of this was again distilled and 

 only the middle portion of the product was collected ; in this way 

 water of a high degree of purity was obtained. This was used 

 in the preparation of another distilled water culture and spores 

 of Fossombronia sown eighteen days ago show no evidence of 

 germinating. Spores sown on Knop's solution, normal, germi- 

 nated within fourteen days producing vigorous germ tubes with 

 rather more than the usual amount of chlorophyll. These young 

 plants have grown more rapidly and vigorously than those in 

 distilled water that germinated approximately at the same time. 

 Spores sown in the normal solution germinated two days later 

 than those in either of the reduced solutions but in the former 

 there was a far greater number of young plants two days after 

 the first observation of germination. 



Spores of Fimbriaria californica collected in March, 1905, 

 were sown in Knop's solution (normal) and germinated promptly 

 within twelve days. Young plants in this culture that are now 

 sixteen to twenty days old are characterized by the unusual 

 length of the germ-tube, in some instances measuring more than 

 one and a half millimeters from the basal end to the first cell 

 cut off at the distal end of the germ-tube. In some instances 

 two germ-tubes were seen to emerge from a single spore as 

 figured by Campbell ^ for Targionia hyfo^hylla. Spores of 

 the same species were sown in an earthen saucer filled more 

 than half-full of finely pulverized non-sterilized soil. These 

 germinated promptly and in great numbers. Both cultures 

 were so placed as to receive light from a north window : the 

 Knop's solution culture received somewhat the greater amount 

 of light being in a glass dish, coated part way up with paraffin. 

 None of the young plants of the soil culture produced germ- 



' Loc. cit., 1st ed., p. 65 ; 2d ed., p. 66. 



