184 Dopce: METHODS OF CULTURE OF ASCOBOLACEAE 
hyphae, and the branches from the basal cells were observed to 
fuse with similar vegetative hyphae. Fic. 57 shows such a fusion 
which resulted in no further development. Their failure to 
develop normally may possibly have been due to the treatment 
to which the plants were subjected in studying the cultures, which 
may have resulted in slight drying or even mechanical injury. 
Still in some cases archicarps were observed at about two-hour 
intervals continuously for two or three days, which showed but 
little further growth, while all about in the same cultures other coils 
were continuing their development and apothecia were being 
ripened. It seems quite possible that the failure of these archi- 
carps to develop was due to failure of the trichogyne to effect a 
fusion with an antheridium, though the explanation of this failure 
is not clear. 
ASCOBOLUS IMMERSUS Pers. 
This species is widely distributed and very well known. The 
spores, which are about 60 X 304, are entirely smooth with the 
exception of a few narrow clefts in the epispore (FIG. 20). FIG. 
21 represents a spore germinating at four different points. The 
germ pores are distinctly visible at this stage. FIG. 22 and 23 
show two germinated spores from the same group of eight. The 
hyphae shown in FIG. 23 were well fixed with a weak Flemming’s 
fluid. The cytoplasm has a finely granular structure. The 
cytoplasm of the large hyphae (FIG. 22) is very coarsely reticu- 
lated and vacuolar. As the germ tube issues from the pore, it 
enlarges suddenly, giving rise to a hypha slightly thicker than the 
hyphae produced by some spores. These coarse hyphae can readily 
be distinguished in cultures on agar media. I have not learned 
that they differ functionally from the smaller and more common 
sort. 
The mycelium grows vigorously in heated soil agar but Pro 
duces very few fruits. The most abundant crops were obtained 
on a goose dung decoction to which sodium carbonate (1:500) 
had been added. It will be seen by referring to FIG. 24 that the 
archicarp is larger and contains more cells that the archicarp of 4 
Winteri. The structures shown in this figure are somewhat dis- 
proportionally swollen by the aceto-carmin stain, especially the 
