ENDOMYCES CAPSULARIS 369 



for some time. Germination of the ascospores is accomplished either by 

 the formation of a germinating tube or by budding. The germinating 

 tube becomes the point of beginning of the mycelium. (Fig. 156 e, and 

 158.) On beer wort the ascospores germinate by budding, only the 

 yeast-like cells, which elongate without separating, show a tendency to 

 form a mycelium, but never a true mycelium. In yeast water and on 

 slices of carrot, on the contrary, ascospores are never formed from 

 budding but a filament fornis walls, thus forming directly a mycelium. 



In certain unfavorable conditions for growth of this fungus, the 

 ascospores may form a bud or a germinating tube which changes 

 directly into an asc. 1 



Endomyces capsularis develops for the most part in artificial 

 media. On beer wort at 25 C., after about one day, it forms on the 

 surface a deposit of yeast which sets up the alcoholic fermentation. 

 After two days, there are formed on the surface of the wort small 

 floating patches of scum made up of a typical mycelium. After a 

 prolonged repose the scum finally covers the whole surface; this scum 

 is frequently situated above great bubbles of froth which make it 

 uneven. If the culture is left in quiet repose, the scum forms a 

 thick cover on the surface, very uneven, dry and white and slightly 

 velvety, composed of a mixture of yeast-like structures and mycelium. 



In yeast water, this fungus forms on the surface of the medium 

 at the end of two days white islands of scum composed of a mycelium 

 in which some of the mycelial threads form yeast bodies by con- 

 striction. After foiy days, the entire surface is covered with quite a 

 thick mycelium, slightly velvety in appearance. Vegetation is then 

 formed of a typical mycelium well developed, in which the ends pro- 

 duce many ascs. On must gelatin, a dry velvety growth is produced 



1 According to Klocker and Dombrowski, the Saccharomycetes are distinguished 

 from the Endomycetes by the fact that in the first the ascospores are able, under 

 certain conditions, to change directly into a new asc without preliminary multiplica- 

 tion while in the second, the ascs only form after the formation of a mycelium. 

 These authors think that this peculiarity makes a better differential characteristic 

 between the Endomycetes and the Saccharomycetes. According to Klocker, En- 

 domyces capsularis may be classed among the Saccharomycetes because in this 

 fungus the ascospores are capable of producing ascs in their germination. On 

 the contrary, Endomyces fibuliger may be classed among the Endomycetes be- 

 cause the ascospores never change into ascs. Klocker and Dombrowski have only 

 observed these two endomyces and have not investigated whether the spores of 

 other members might not change into ascs. Indeed, one ought not to attribute 

 too much importance to the opinions of these two investigators, who base their 

 statements on too hasty generalizations. What connects Endomyces capsularis to 

 the Endomycetes is the high differentiation of its mycelium and the mode of forma- 

 tion of its ascs always at the expense of the mycelium. This fungus is, however, 

 so closely related to Endomyces fibuliger that a separation is merely arbitrary. 



