6 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



spore to sporangium, as well as in the experiments now under 

 consideration, that the treatment has this marked effect. 



To return from this digression. The new culture was started 

 on Jan. 26th, the spores being moistened in boiled water, and then 

 spread over slices of scalded Stereum. On Jan. 27th no germination 

 had taken place, and the spores were dried and rewetted. As none 

 had hatched on the following day, they were again dried and were 

 left until Jan. 30th, when they were wetted with boiled water, and 

 a few more large-clustered spores were added. The preparation 

 was not again examined until Feb. 10th, when the water was grey 

 with hosts of dancing swarra-cells. On Feb. 20th these had all 

 changed to microcysts : they were allowed to dry until Feb. 22nd, 

 when boiled water was again added. On March 4th swarm-cells 

 were present in great abundance. On March 10th a minute 

 Plasmodium was seen under the microscope with y% obj. On 

 March 12th about twelve small plasmodia were discovered, in which 

 yellow granules could be detected. March loth, several plasmodia 

 had coalesced, and slow streaming movement was visible. March 

 16tb, plasmodia could be seen with the naked eye, and under the 

 microscope fine streaming through a net-work of veins could be 

 made out. March 17th, the plasmodia had combined into two of 

 unequal size ; the larger Plasmodium was now in contact with one 

 of the slices of Stereum, and as the preparation swarmed with 

 bacteria, producing an offensive smell, it was removed to another 

 watch-glass and supplied with fresh Stereum, on to which it soon 

 crawled. The culture was now transferred to a plate covered with 

 a bell-jar and fed with Stereum until the plasmodium attained a 

 large size. On April 10th the preparation was divided ; one part 

 was exposed to the air to form into sclerotuira, of which a good 

 supply was obtained, and the remainder was fed for a week or two 

 longer, when it formed into about 2000 sporangia.'" In all those 

 examined the spores were in the normal small clusters of seven 

 to ten. 



Of the three other cultures put down on Jan. 10th, one was 

 attacked by paramaecia, which devoured nearly all the swarm-cells, 

 or microcysts ; the remaining two, though tended with some care 

 and exhibiting from time to time swarm-cells and microcysts, never 

 produced plasmodia, and were cleared away on April 6th. 



The usual and easy method of cultivating Badhamia utricularis 

 is from the sclerotium, which can be kept dry and stored for years 

 without losing its vitality. A piece of Stereum hirsutum on which 

 the sclerotium has formed is soaked in water for a few hours, when 

 it should be removed and kept wet, but not wholly immersed. In 

 the course of a day or so the plasmodium will have revived, and 

 the piece of Stereum, on which it will have begun to creep, should 

 be placed on a dinner plate, near the edge, and covered with a bell- 

 jar. A well-soaked pileus of Stereum. should now be laid on the 

 awakened plasmodium, which will soon leave the original piece and 



* The sporangia of B. utricularis vary much in dimension ; those of the 

 average size contain about a million and a half of spores. 



