DopGE: METHODS OF CULTURE OF ASCOBOLACEAE 147 
the parenthypha. The stalk grows along on the medium and forms 
the spiral coil at its extremity. Dangeard has not been able to 
follow what takes place in the tangled coil, except to find that 
its cells are multinucleated and are connected by minute pores. 
A species which he accidentally found in his cultures of Pyronema, 
did not mature. It showed an exceedingly large ascogonium 
with the three regions, which I shall discuss later, easily recog- 
nizable. 
Miss Fraser (1907) developed a method for germinating the 
spores of Lachnea stercorea. She believes that in nature the spores 
of this species probably pass through the body of the cow. An 
attempt was made to imitate normal digestion by placing the 
spores successively in saliva, artificially prepared gastric juice, 
pancreatic juice, and in a dung decoction. The spores were 
left in each medium several hours and the temperature main- 
tained at 38° C., the temperature of the cow. Germination 
eccurred after about two days. Further experiments showed 
that the two factors most essential for germination were heat 
and the alkalinity of the medium. Five successful experiments 
on germination by this method are recorded. Her figure of the 
germinated spore shows a germ tube issuing from each end. 
She was unable to obtain ascocarps, as all growth ceased soon 
after the germ tubes were formed. The mature ascogonium of 
Lachnea stercorea consists of a large oval cell at the end of a three- 
or four-celled stalk. A trichogyne grows out from one side of the 
ascogonium, and transverse septa are formed in the trichogyne, 
cutting off several cells. The tip of the trichogyne bends down- 
ward and becomes attached to a more or less irregular and indefi- 
nite antheridium, the origin of which could not be determined. 
According to Miss Fraser the septa. of the trichogyne are perma- 
nent structures, and functional sexuality does not exist. 
Iss Fraser’s method of spore germination was used by Miss 
Welsford (1907) in her studies of Ascobolus furfuraceus and by 
Utting (1909) working with Ascophanus carneus. They describe 
be 8ermination of a few spores but were unable to obtain arti- 
dey tttres Miss Welsford found thick-walled chlamydospores 
Oates ona mycelium supposed to be that of Ascobolus fur- 
»and Cutting observed the ‘“‘gemmae’”’ and ‘‘dense chains 
