426 CONNECTICUT EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT, IQI2. 



into consideration that they are all botanists with a very extended 

 experience in the systematic study of fungi. 



The Andersons have taken the other extreme, namely, that 

 the chestnut blight, which they call Endothia parasitica, is 

 entirely a distinct species from E. gyrosa, which they call E. 

 virginiana. Their conclusion is evidently based on the para- 

 sitic habit of the former as compared with the saprophytic 

 habit of the latter, the difference between the two in artificial 

 cultures, and the slight morphological differences in their 

 ascospores. Pantanelli (53) in his recent article might be 

 considered as agreeing with the Andersons in considering the 

 two as distinct species, since in his conclusions he says: "The 

 D lap or the parasitica Murrill is an Endothia, closely related to, 

 but not like, the E. radicalis (Schw.) Fr. Hence it is oppor- 

 tune to distinguish it as E. parasitica (Murr.) Anderson." 

 However, Pantanelli was trying to show that these two were 

 not entirely identical, and was not really concerned in their 

 exact relationship, since he stated earlier in a footnote: 

 "Recently, November 28, 1912, Professor P. A. Saecardo has 

 communicated to me that he regards E. parasitica as a race of 

 E. radicalis modified by parasitism. One may then consider 

 whether it is a species or a distinct variety, but from the view- 

 point of the pathologist it makes no difference." 



The writer, after a careful study of the blight fungus and 

 of Endothia gyrosa, microscopically, in cultures, and in inocula- 

 tion experiments, with an opportunity to examine both in the 

 field, and also specimens of E. gyrosa on several hosts from 

 Europe, has come to the conclusion that these two forms are 

 too closely related to be considered distinct species. On the 

 other hand, they are certainly distinguished through slight mor- 

 phological differences in their ascospores, marked and constant 

 cultural differences, and the apparently great difference in their 

 parasitic tendencies. These differences lead us to consider the 

 blight fungus as a distinct variety of E. gyrosa, which is evi- 

 dently the older form from which the blight fungus has been 

 derived. 



As previously stated, neither Endothia radicalis nor E. 

 gyrosa and its variety parasitica differ enough in their fruiting 

 pustules or conidial spores to present any very special distin- 

 guishing characters. The ascospores of E. radicalis, however, 



