1914] 
COOLEY—SCLEROTINIA CINEREA 321 
emphasizes the influence of such nitrogenous substances as 
proteins, amino acids, and amides in the nutrient. Не finds 
that Aspergillus niger when grown in non-amino acids, for 
example, tartarie, lactie, etc., produces no oxalie acid, whereas 
an abundant oxalic acid production results on such substances 
as peptone or aspartic acid. 
Smith (46) and Peltier (41) both conducted experiments to 
determine whether or not oxalic acid is present in media in 
which Botrytis has been growing. Peltier reported negative 
results, but Smith found oxalic acid and thinks that the pois- 
oning effect of the fungus is perhaps due to the presence of this 
acid. Unfortunately, neither of these authors gives his methods 
of analysis, and, with the exception of one incident in Smith’s 
publication, the quantity of oxalic acid found is not reported. 
Peltier and others have been able to produce an injury with 
oxalic acid similar to that produced by certain parasitic fungi, 
such as Botrytis, yet this is not conclusive evidence that oxalic 
acid is the toxic substance secreted by the organism. 
The articles mentioned above constitute the chief publica- 
tions that have to deal with the production of oxalic acid by 
fungi. The publications on the production of oxalic acid by bac- 
teria and other plants will not be reviewed here. Whether ox- 
alic acid production is a phenomenon peculiar to certain genera 
or to certain species of the fungi, whether it is purely the result 
of external conditions, or whether it results primarily from cer- 
tain constituents of the medium, has not been clearly demon- 
strated. A series of experiments was planned in the hope of 
throwing some light on its production in the fungus here studied. 
The method of analysis employed was a modification of Weh- 
mer’s method of precipitating the oxalate with calcium chloride 
and determining the amount of oxalate thus precipitated. 
This method, however, is not well adapted to the purpose at 
hand, especially when quantitative methods are used, and fruit 
juice is employed for the medium on which to grow the fungus. 
An attempt is being made to develop a method that will be 
better suited to our purpose. 
Culture media were prepared from peaches and plums by 
filtering the juices of these fruits through a Hill pressure filter 
under sterile conditions. The product thus obtained was 
