DopGE : METHODS OF CULTURE OF ASCOBOLACEAE 145 
and obtained pure cultures on sterilized cow dung and on slices of 
carrot. A dense growth of white flocculose mycelium was pro- 
duced which gave rise to a great number of what he termed 
“arthrospores.’”’ In rare cases, after several weeks a few ascocarps 
appeared in some of the cultures. He discovered that the same 
bacteria that were present on the dung from which he obtained the 
ascospores for inoculation were also present in these particular 
cultures. Pure cultures of the Ascobolus mycelium and of this 
bacterium were then made, and he had only to introduce the 
bacteria into this Ascobolus culture in order to obtain an abundant 
supply of ascocarps. Otherwise he claims the Ascobolus remained 
sterile indefinitely. 
Barker (1904) describes the existence of sex organs in Rhy- 
parobius sp. but gives no figures. The ascogonium is a spirally 
coiled branch containing five or six nuclei. An antheridium con- 
taining several nuclei arises from the cell next to the one producing 
the ascogonium. The antheridium grows up and its tip becomes 
attached to the end of the ascogonium. Septa are now formed 
in both sex organs, cutting off cells which are uninucleated. The 
penultimate cell of the ascogonium is, however, binucleated. 
Claussen (1905) grew cultures of Ascobolus furfuraceus, in which 
he found chains of oidia produced on the mycelium. He traced a 
direct connection between the mycelium from a germinated asco- 
Spore and the oidia. He sowed these oidia and continued the 
cultures in this manner for a hundred generations without finding 
any ascocarps. He has also studied in especial detail the life 
history of Ascodesmis nigricans. This fungus is easily cultivated 
on artificial media. He finds that the rosette of ascogonia origi- 
nates as a result of the dichotomous branching of an outgrowth of 
a vegetative hypha. A short bud is put forth from a cell of the 
mycelium and immediately becomes T-shaped by division. 
Branching continues until several pairs of spirally coiled ascogonia 
are formed. Each ascogonium is now cut off from its stalk by 
@ septum and a one-celled trichogyne is cut off at the apex. The 
antheridia are produced on a branch which may arise from the 
next cell to that from which the ascogonial branch originates, or it 
ey come from cells of other hyphae in the vicinity. The an- 
theridial branch divides dichotomously and grows in among the 
