1018 Agricultural Journal of Victoria. 



shape t(i those on the under surface of the cap. Here the fungus 

 provided for the ordinary mode of reproduction by means of 

 spores formed inside a tube, but it dispensed with the normal cap 

 mounted on a stalk, which is certaiidy well adapted for spreading the 

 spores. By placing ordinaiy microscopic glass slips smeared with 

 glycerine under the cap the spores were collected in immense 

 numbers and are shown in fig. 4, d, >'., reproduced from photo- 

 micrographs by my assistant, Mr. Ct. H. Robinson, magnified by 500 

 and 1000 diameters respectively. 



The dense white mould consisted of interlacing filaments long 

 and branched, straight or wavy, but without partitions, and the 

 walls were so much thickened as to leave only a narrow tube. The 

 walls are very characteristic, being closely and beautifully striated. 



Origin of the Sclerotium or Native Bread. 



It has been shown how the fructification originates from the 

 sclerotium and it would be desirable to trace the scleiotium from the 

 spore but that has not been followed. By examining specimens, 

 however, at various stages of growth, some idea may be gained as to 

 how it arises. 



The small nearly globular form about the size of a ])ea (Fig. 4c) 

 was sent from Kardella in June and forwarded to me through the 

 courtesy of Mr. French. It was ruddy brown in colour and near one 

 end gave off a slender brown root-like portion from the somewhat 

 fiattened base. This fiattened cord was about one and a half inch 

 long and attached by the other end to the peeling oif bark of a 

 Eucalyptus root. It was firmh^ attached to the root and extended 

 along the bark for a short distance. It consisted of a number of 

 hyphal strands, yellowish in colour as seen by transmitted light. 



In the absence of direct proof, but taking analogy for onr guide, 

 we may conceive the spore on germination to produce hyphae or 

 fungus threads, which may either grow in the soil and absorb 

 nutriment from decaying vegetable matter, or perhaps even attack 

 the roots or underground portions of various i)lants and cause their 

 decay. It is quite common to find abundance of white mycelium in 

 the soil where the native bread occurs, binding the earth together 

 in large masses and it is just possible that there may be some 

 connection. At any rate the hyphae a])pearing on the cut surface of 

 the bread can spread over and into adjacent soil as pointed out by 

 Mr. Baker. Under certain conditions the hyphae originating from 

 the spores may grow together in strands, forming a dark outer layer 

 or skin and an inner whitish portion. These root-like strands are the 

 so-called rhizomorphs, which are just in a sense slender and extended 

 sclerotia, and in one of our commonest fungi, which causes root-rot, 

 the honey agaric, these cord-like rhizomorphs produce a cap-fungus 

 appearing above ground. But in the case of native bread these rhizo- 

 morphs expand at the end and grow out into the dense mass of fungus 

 filaments constituting a sclerotium, as in Fig. 4('. These sclerotia very 



