216 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



their outer surfaces remain of a white or slightly creamy 

 color, while their inner or upper faces are of a brownish or 

 clay-colored shade. 



While still very young the cups may be seen to be the 

 spore-producing organs of the fungus. The body of a cup is 

 composed of threads, which are continuations of and similar 

 to those of the stalk ; but its inner surface is composed of 

 two kinds of threads, arising from the vegetative threads of 

 the outer portion and standing close together parallel to each 

 other and at right angles to the surftice, like the threads of 

 the ' ' pile " of velvet. A jxirt of these threads are essen- 

 tially similar to those from Avhich they arise, and these 

 terminate in blunt ends. They are known as parajjhyses. 

 The rest are much swollen, and when young have dense 

 protoplasmic contents. As they reach their full size the 

 bontents begin to show differentiation, and there finally ap- 

 pear in each of these spore-sacs eight colorless, elliptical 

 spores (lig. 8). When the spores are quite mature, one 

 may ol)serve tliat the tip of the spore-sac (ascus) appears 

 thickened and gelatinous. It is through this apical part of 

 the wall that the spores are discharged ; and after their 

 esca})e one may see the opening through which they have 

 passed out. The ejection of the spores from an ascus takes 

 place suddenly and explosively, and, as the tips of the asci 

 form the inner surface of the cup, they pass directly into 

 the air. If a cup be allowed to develop quite undisturbed 

 in a moist chamber for two or three days, and then be 

 slightly jarred, the esca})e of the spores from the numerous 

 asci that have ripened during the interval can be plainly 

 seen, like a tiny puff of white smoke from the surface of the 

 cup. If a glass slip, moistened with water, be held over 

 the cup when this occurs, the spores (fig. 8, sp.) can be 

 obtained very pure and in considerable quantity. As has 

 been said, the asci and spores begin to mature when the cup 

 is still very small, and the ripening of successive ones con- 

 tinues during and after the close of the growth of the cup, 

 for a period of three Aveeks or more. During this time the 

 number of spores produced l)y a single cup is enormous, 

 and quite beyond approximate estimations. In my cultures 



