ENZYME ACTION IN ECHINODONTIUM TINCTORIUM 

 ELLIS AND EVERHART. 



By henry SCHMITZ. 



{From the Laboratory of Forest Pathology, School of Forestry, University of Idahs, 



Moscow.) 



(Received for publication, March 25, 1920.) 



In a recent paper^ it was pointed out that information concerning 

 the physiology of the wood-destroying fungi is comparatively meager. 

 The intention to investigate the enzyme action in some of these forms 

 was also expressed there. The present paper is the second of a series 

 dealing with this phase of metabolism of the wood-destroying fungi. 



Echinodontium tinctorium is perhaps one of the most destructive 

 heart rot diseases in the West. White, Alpine, grand, noble, and 

 Douglas fir, Engelmann's spruce, and western and mountain hem- 

 lock have been reported as having been affected. Perhaps by far the 

 greatest damage occurs on white fir and western hemlock. The eco- 

 nomic importance of this fungus has been sufficiently discussed by 

 Weir and Hubert"^ and also by Meinecke^ so that no further discussion of 

 its economic importance or distribution is necessary'. 



The culture of the fungus used in this study was obtained from a 

 young sporophore by the tissue m^ethod. The sporophore was care- 

 fully washed with sterile distilled water, dried by means of sterile 

 tissue towelling, and cut open. Small portions of tissue were taken 

 from the interior of the fruiting body and transferred to potato agar 

 slants. After the fungus had made considerable growth, transfers 

 were made from the agar slants to sliced sterile carrots in large Erlen- 



^ Schmitz, H., and Zeller, S. M., Studies in the physiology of the fungi IX. 

 Enzyme action in Armillaria mellea Vahl., Daedalea confragosa (Bolt.) Fr., and 

 Polyporns lucidus (Leys.) Fr., Ann. Missouri Bot. Gardeji, 1919, vi, 193-200. 



^ Weir, J. R., and Hubert, E. E., Forest disease surveys, U. S. Dept. Agric, 

 Bull. 658, 1918, 1-23. 



^ Meinecke, E. P., Forest trees common in California and Nevada, U. S. Depl. 

 Agric, Forest Service, 1914, 1-67. 



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