50 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Feb., 



cottony growth I did not succeed in finding either spore 

 or mycelium and began to doubt whether they really 

 existed at all. The growth appears as Dr. Stokes des- 

 cribes it, as white cottony patches springing from the 

 inner surface of the walls of the seed chamber or running 

 over them in flufi"y ridges, and also investing the coats 

 of the seeds. Under the microscope it appears as a mass 

 of more or less elongated cells, many of them being drawn 

 out to most abnormal lengths and usually studded with 

 minute papilliform bodies. While the appearance of 

 the longer cells closely resembles threads of mycelium, 

 the manner in which they grade into the normal cells of 

 the apple body would alone seem to preclude the idea 

 of a fungous origin. In their manner of occurrence, 

 nature, and appearance, they more closely approximate 

 plant hairs than any fungous growth. Having gotten 

 thus far, I called on Mr. Galloway, chief of the division 

 of Vegetable Pathology, Department of Agriculture, 

 who had recently had his attention directed to this 

 same matter, and not only had my own conclusions that 

 the growth may properly be regarded as internal plant 

 hairs corroborated, but I learned still further that the 

 cells usually start from the walls of the seed cavity, 

 growing in and surrounding the seeds, but may also start 

 from the seeds. I learned also that the papilliform 

 bodies studding these cells are quite common especially 

 on internal hairs such as those in the intercellular spaces 

 of various plants, — the white water lily being a good 

 example. 



While examining the growth just considered, the com- 

 mon blue mould so often seen in the core cavity of 

 apples invited my attention as to its manner of gaining 

 entrance. A short article in the Agricultural Gazette of 

 New South Wales, for June, 1891, says of it under the 

 heading, — " Mouldy Core :" 



" This is a diseased condition brought about by the 



