168 DopcE: METHODS OF CULTURE OF ASCOBOLACEAE 
show that the spores will grow after being heated to 55°-60° C. 
for about Io minutes. 
SACCOBOLUS NEGLECTUS Boud. 
The spores germinate readily after being heated to 60°-70° C. 
during a period of 15 minutes. Commonly one spore of the eight 
in the spore mass swells to a great size and sends out two or more 
germ tubes a little to one side of the ends (FIG. 6, 7). In their 
natural condition the spores are only slightly roughened, but after 
the swelling which precedes germination the spore wall is cracked 
in all directions and assumes a roughly warted appearance. In my 
experiments seldom more than four spores of the group of eight 
germinated. The mycelium develops in an agar medium contain- 
ing a decoction of dung or heated soil and fruits well after about 
10 days. 
ASCOBOLUS FURFURACEUS Pers. 
The ascospores which were used in the cultures of this species 
were secured from an isolated ascocarp of a typically furfuraceous 
form. A small quantity of sodium carbonate (1:500) was intro- 
duced into a plate of heated soil agar and the latter was agai? 
sterilized a few minutes at 90°-100°C. The plates were inoculated 
and the oven heated for 20 minutes, rising to a temperature of 
65° C. The spores germinated very readily under these condi- 
tions (FIG. 29). 
LASIOBOLUS EQUINUS (Miill.) Karst. ‘ 
Mature ascocarps were crushed out: in horse dung decoctio? 
agar and heated 15-17 minutes to 65°-68° C. A large number of 
spores in this plate germinated, but the culture soon became CO 
taminated with bacteria and other fungi and developed no ane 
carps. 
ASCOBOLUS GLABER Pers. 
Several forms of this species have been described. The 
used in my work was not colored. The colorless A. albidus, which 
Massee & Salmon (1902) consider a variety of this species ig 
not, on the evidence of their description and figures of the germr 
nated spores, the same that I have used. The irregular ridges of 
the epispore are shown in FIG. 26,a. I used a horse dung decoctio® 
agar in the one experiment tried. The plate was heated for 7. 
