194 



TlIK AMERICAN MONTHLY 



[May, 



Cell cultmcs wiMi' inatic in ortlcr to observe with the microscope 

 tlic tlilVeieiit phases in jjenniiiation of the spores ami ijrowth of 

 the fnn«;us. Lii|uiil ajjar containiii}; a dilulioti of spores from one 

 of the culture-tubes was poured upon a sterili/.ed cover-ijlass, 

 which was then inverted on the rin<j of the cell. Figure 3, <!-, 

 represents some of the spores in the cell culture. Thev are oblong, 

 usually pointed at one end, nearly cylindrical, and eitlier straight 

 or slitjhtly curved. The appearance of the contents of the spores 

 varies. Sometimes the protoplasm is ncarlv homoj^cneous. with 

 one III more vacuoles, or it max be llnelv granular, with no 



vacuoles or cpiite 

 coarse granidcs 

 maybe irregular- 

 ly tlistributed in 

 the homogeneous 

 protoplasm. The 

 latter condition is 

 a very common 

 one before ger- 

 mination, and the 

 behavior of these 

 granules has sug- 

 gested that pos- 

 sibly they may be 

 stored products 

 to be used during 

 the process of 

 germination and 

 the earlv growth 

 of the mvcelium. 

 It does not seem 

 there could be 

 any need of such stored products for spores in .iitiflcial cultures 

 where the spore lies in a rich nutrient media. But they might 

 serve the spores a good purpose in natural conditions where the 

 spore lies upon the surface of the plant and must often produce 

 considerable growth of mycelium before the thread reaches 

 nutritive tissues. 



In germination one or more germ tubes arise from the spore, 

 usually at one side of the ends. Figure 3, 6 and c represent dif- 

 ferent stages in germination. The coarse granules are quite nu- 

 merous, and in d some of them have moved out into the form- 

 ing mvcelium. Figure 3, c represents a farther development of 

 mycelium, and also a farther distribution of the granules in the 

 threads. 



Figure 4, a. />. and c are three camera-lucida sketches of the 

 growth from a spore which was sown December 14th, at 12.35 

 P. M. a represents the growth which had taken p\i\ce inexactly 

 24 hours, being sketched :it 12.3:; P. M.. Dec. 15th. 6 was 



CBKMINATION AND (JROWTH OF MYCELIUM. 



