The Biology of Polyporus Pargamenus Fries res) 
germination could be observed the spore dispersion was made 
in the same way except that a ntimber of loopfuls of the 
spore dispersion were transferred to a blank of the sterile 
nutrient medium in a test tube which was well shaken by 
rolling between the palms of the hands. Two or three loop- 
fuls of this diluted spore dispersion were transferred to the 
cover glasses of sterile van Tieghem cells prepared in the 
usual way and these were sealed. The germination studies 
were performed entirely from cultures made in van Tieghem 
cells. In some cases a platinum loopful of germinated spores 
was transferred from the van Tieghem cells to poured agar 
plates as was done in the case of the ungerminated basidio- 
spores. In both cases characteristic colonies were produced 
on the agar plates, the tufted growth of the mycelium of 
course appearing on the plates sooner where germinated 
basidiospores were employed. 
Description of Cultures.— Both spores germinated first in 
hanging drops and ungerminated spores, when transferred to 
poured plates of prune or malt extract agar, developed into 
a little tuft of mycelium which gradually spread out over 
the surface of the plate, making a floccose tuft of mycelium. 
In some cases the floccose growth of mycelium continued 
(Plate XI, Fig. 1), while in others, where the mycelium 
grew under apparently the same external conditions except 
that a richer culture medium may have been employed, it was 
found to be breaking up into oidia four days after the inocu- 
lation of the spores on the plates. In general it may be stated 
that when basidiospores were inoc ulated upon the agar plates 
there was a tendency for filamentous vegetative mycelium to 
result (Plate XI, Fig. 1). In some cases, however, the fila- 
mentous vegetative mycelium gave way to mycelium that 
continued to break up into oidia. On the other hand, oidia 
(both ungerminated and those previously germinated), when 
inoculated on agar plates, instead of producing filamentous 
vegetative mycelium always produced mycelium that con- 
tinued to break up into oidia. (Plate XI, Fig. 2, and Plate 
eeVIIT, Fig. 1.) 
