1919] 



SCHMITZ — STUDIES IN THE DECAY OF WOOD 133 



ture bottles to which Bacterium mycoides was added; with 

 Lenzites saepiaria the highest rate was in the culture bottles 

 to which Bacillus prodigiosus was added ; and with Polystictus 

 versicolor in those to which Bacillus vulgaris and B. coli were 

 added. The only bacteria found in the culture bottles at the 

 end of the period of incubation were Bacillus vulgatus and B. 

 coli. 



SERIES B: WHITE ASH 



The highest rate of decay caused by the fungi was that 

 caused by Lenzites saepiaria. Cultures of Polystictus versi- 

 color to which bacteria were added lost the most weight due 

 to decay of any of the cultures of the entire series. Culture 

 bottles first inoculated with Fomes pinicola and subsequently 

 with Lenzites saepiaria, Polystictus versicolor, or both, lost 

 less weight than those inoculated with Lenzites saepiaria or 

 Polystictus versicolor alone. This is quite different from the 

 results obtained with red oak. The addition of bacteria to 

 cultures of Fomes pinicola caused no change in the rate of de- 

 cay. In the case of Polystictus versicolor culture bottles to 

 which bacteria were subsequently added lost more weight than 

 did pure cultures of the fungus. The greatest loss in weight 

 is found in cultures of Polystictus versicolor to which Bacillus 

 prodigiosus and Bacterium mycoides were added. Bacillus 

 vulgatus and Bacterium mycoides were the only bacteria found 

 in the culture bottles at the end of the period of incubation. 



SERIES C: WESTERN HEMLOCK 



Lenzites saepiaria caused the highest rate of decay on west- 

 ern hemlock of any of the fungi used. Cultures first inocu- 

 lated with Fomes pinicola and subsequently with Polystictus 

 versicolor lost no more weight than those inoculated with 

 Fomes pinicola alone. In Fomes pinicola cultures subse- 

 quently inoculated with Lenzites saepiaria the loss in weight 

 was practically identical to that lost by pure cultures of Len- 

 zites saepiaria. When Fomes pinicola cultures were subse- 

 quently inoculated with both Lenzites saepiaria and Polystic- 

 tus versicolor the loss in weight was also practically the same 

 as that caused by pure cultures of Lenzites saepiaria. Cul- 



