20 DISEASES OF FIELD & GARDEN CROPS. [CH. 



pacted spawn would be destroyed under similar conditions 

 in a few hours. Sclerotia vary in their period of hiberna- 

 tion from a few days to a year or more ; they are some- 

 what erratic as to the required amount of rest ; favour- 

 able circumstances will hasten on germination, whilst 

 unfavourable ones will retard it ; a very common period 

 of hibernation is from nine months to a year. When 

 germination at length takes place a perfect fungus is pro- 

 duced ; this perfect fungus at maturity produces spores 

 which, on germination, again produce spawn or mycelium. 

 Sometimes this spawn will at once reproduce the perfect 

 fungus, but in other instances it grows profusely, and at 

 length gives direct rise to the little resting nodosities just 

 described as Sclerotia. 



Some Sclerotia on germinating only produce moulds or 

 mildews, whereas others may produce a tall club-shaped 

 fungus termed Typhula, from Typha, the reed-mace ; some 

 give rise to mushroom -like fungi, true Agarics, whilst 

 others produce cup-shaped fungi which may be either 

 sessile or supported on a long stalk ; these latter fungi 

 are termed Pezizce. 



Many Sclerotia have received specific names, but such 

 names are almost valueless. For instance, two so-called 

 different species of Sclerotia have been known to give rise 

 to the same perfect fungus, Typhula phacorrhiza, Fr. 

 (phacos, a lentil, and rhiza, a root), grows either from 

 Sclerotium complanatum, Tode, or S. scutellatum, A. and S. 

 Both Sclerotia are found on dead leaves, and although 

 they have been described as distinct they must be the 

 same with each other. Polyactis cinerea, B., and Peziza 

 Fuckeliana, D.By., both spring either from Sclerotium 

 durum, P., or S. echinatum. For this reason some botan- 

 ists esteem the Polyactis to be an early state of the Peziza. 

 Whilst respecting the opinions of the botanists who have 

 advocated this startling view, we are inclined to sus- 

 pend judgment and wait for confirmation. Polyactis 

 cinerea, B., not only grows on Sclerotia, but is extremely 



