Vol. 36 



No 5 



BULLETIN 



OF THE 



TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB 



MAY, 1909 



Nitrogen assimilation of Sterigmatocystis nigra and the effect of 



chemical stimufation * 



Marion E. Latham 



Inasmuch as the question of the relation of unstimulated and 

 stimulated crops of Sterig7natocjstis nigra to their carbohydrate 

 supply had been several times investigated by Professor Richards 

 and his students, it was decided to look into the effect of chemical 

 stimulation upon the nitrogen consumption. Upon examination, 

 it was found that this led largely to a study of the question of 

 nitrogen fixation by the fungus under varying conditions, with 

 the results given below. It will be remembered that Richards f 

 determined the optimum stimulation for various salts; that Wat- 

 terson % worked over the effect of such stimulation on the CO^ 

 gh/QXi off; that Richards § also determined the effect of irrita- 

 tion on the relative sugar consumption; and the present writer [| 

 worked along the same line and also considered the amount of 

 oxalic acid excreted. This present paper is offered as a contri- 

 bution to our knowledge of the nitrogen metaboHsm of Stengma- 

 tocystis nigra. It has been carried out in the Botanical Laboratories 



* The investigations here reported upon have been aided by a grant made to H. M. 

 Richards from the Esther Herrman Fund of the New York Academy of Sciences, 



t Richards, H. M, Die Beeinflussung des Wachsthums einiger Pilze durch chem- 



ische Reize. Jahrb. Wiss. Bot. 30: 665. 1897. 



JWatterson, A. The effect of chemical irritation on the respiration of fungi. 



Bull. Torrey Club 31 : 291. 1904. 



I Richards, H. M, The effect of chemical irritation on the economic coefficient 

 of sugar. Bull. Torrey Club 26 : 463. 1899. 



II Latham, M. E. Stimulation of Sterigmatocystis by chloroform. Bull. Torrey 



Club 32: 337. I9<^5- 



[The Bulletin for April, 1909 (36: 177-234, //, 1^-17) was issued 4 My 



I909.J 



235 



