' 499 ) 



such a ^^^•u• tliat (licir lieiuiil im-i-cascd rcuiilarlv IVoiii llic cdu'o to 

 the middle. Tli('S(> livpliao, hv Ibnniiiu' niinu'i-oiis |)arlili()ii-;, had u'ol 

 ail artindale api)oai'aiu'\ On cIoscm- iiis|K'c(i()ii \\\v iiiidticcUulai- ntds 

 ai)[)earcd, in a nioro lualiire stale, to eoasisi in the lower parts of 

 cuhieal, in ihe hiulier ones of nioi-e rounded cells, and linallv lo 

 beeonie disinte.UTatcd, so that, on aceouiU of similar cases, there 

 could be no doubt that the casl-oj'l" cells were the means of 

 multiplication and had consequently lo be considered as conidia. 



These conidia, from which new infections may be expected, arc^ 

 mostly 5 — B ft hi^li and 5 ft broad, have a li,L>ht-brown coloui- and 

 are perfectly smooth. \W far the «ireater pai't of them are nndixided; 

 oidy a few show [)erpendicnlar or incbned |)artilions. 



If we now ask Avhat harm is done to Lariü deck/iitf. by \hc a\n)y(} 

 described fungus, the answer can onl}^ be that the stomata are blocked 

 up and rendered useless by it ; that the function of the leaves is 

 interfered \vith, and that Ihe chlorophyll is changed in such a manner, 

 that its assimilative power is reduced, and that evaporation is in no 

 small measure prevented. This is proved by the brownish colour of 

 the leaves i-eplacing the green one. In one and the same spiral of 

 needles, such as are found with Larix, the moi-bid pi-ocess i)rocee(ls 

 from the outside to the interior, so that for a considerable [)eriod 

 needles of two colours are observed on the rosettes. 



As the needles fall oif [)retty soon, and lodge no mycelium threads 

 which might lune gone on to the twigs, it follo\\s that, in order to 

 pl•e^'ent future damage to the trees, the fallen needles should be 

 removed and bund. Spraying might perhaps save attacked trees 

 from further decay. For trees that are visited by the fungns, begin 

 to languish, their growth is impede<l, their i-esistance diminishes, and 

 so they soon fall a victim lo all sorts of Dematiaceae ^^■hich give 

 them a dirty bla(d<ish appearance. 



The next (pu^stion is: \\]\a\ place in the system the fungus ought 

 to occupy, and what name lias to be assigned to it. 



To begin witii, il und(jubtedly belongs lo the "Fungi imperfecti", 

 lately entitled "Deulei-omycetae" by Saccaudo (Syll. XIV, p. 4). 

 Secondly we nmst exclude Hie Sp/turrops/dctn', which ])0ssess a perilhe- 

 cium, as \n ell as Ihe ,l/t'A/y/rf////Vr^', the coiudia of which, without being 

 occluded in a peritheciiim, d('\'elop within pai'ts of plants and I'est 

 on a stroina. Our fungus rather belongs to the thii'd and last, at the 

 same time the largest class of the Deuteromycetae, which have no 

 ])erithecium and the conidia of which, produced on thi"<\ids oi- hyphae, 

 li\-e citlici- inih'pcndciit of each other, which is the general ca^-^e, (u* 

 are gathered in Imndles. forming a so called "Ooreniiuui". 



33 



Proceedings Ruyal Acad. Amsterdam. Vol VI. 



