INTRODUCTION. 



The investigations on smut fungi diseases, published in Parts V, XI and XI I ' of this work, 

 date back, in their beginning, to the second half of the 70*5 in the last century. It was a time 

 wiu-ii a noticeable standstill had come in the investigations of smuts and smut diseases. More 

 than 25 years had already elapsed since Tulasnc 2 had carried through methodically the germina- 

 tion of smut spores in water and had ascertained that these spores did not germuiatt into 

 mycdia, but into short germinating tubes which, becoming fructificative with an eany cessa- 

 tion of their growth, form conidia. Tulastte designated this fructificative kind of spore germi- 

 nation as germination with promycelia and sporidia. He had observed also an almost corre- 

 sponding fructificative germination in the talen tospores of Uredo and had used here too the 

 same designation by which he had already expressed hypothetically the close connection of both 

 form of fungi. 



Meanwhile experimental infection had been carried out with smut spores whose peculiar 

 germination had now been ascertained by Tulasne, in order to develop smut diseases in the differ- 

 ent proper host plants. These experiments were made chiefly by /. Kuhn 3 and showed that the 

 mature plants are resistent to and insured against the attacks of smut germination and that infec- 

 tion remains limited to the short stage of the germination of the seed. Disinfection with solutions 

 of copper sulfate, previously carried out with success, thus killing the smut spores, obtained 

 here its natural explanation and valuation 4 . The germinating seedlings are attacked in the earth 

 by the germs of infection which come in contact with them. They penetrate quickly through the 

 young tissues into the meristematic tissue of the seedling and continue their growth here, in order 

 to form later the smutted places on the completely matured plants, usually in their ovaries. 

 The place on which the smut appears on the plants attacked lies accordingly as far distant 

 as possible from the place of infection in the young seed. During the period of development of 

 the host plants, nothing may be seen of the effect of the infection. The accommodation of the 

 parasites to their hosts is thus absolutely complete. The parasite appears externally only in the 

 last stage of development. 



(1) Botanlgche Untersuchungen Uber Hefenpilze. Untersuchungen aua dem Oesammtgeblete dr 

 Mycologie. V. Heft. Die Brandptlze I. Verlag von ARTHUR FELIX, Leipzig. 188S. Band XI. Die Brand- 

 pllze II. Die Brandkrankhelten des Qetreldea. Commlsslonsverlag von HKINKK'H S 'Hi >\1N< III. MUnster. 

 1895. XII. Heft. Hemibasldll, Brandpllze III. Com missions- verlats. MUnster I. W. 1895. 



(2) TULASNE, Memolre sur lea Ustllaglnees comparee* aux Ured. Ann. d. Be. nat. 3 Serle Tome 7. 

 1847 Seconde Memolre 8. I. Uredineea et les fstllag. Ann. d. ec. nat 4 Serle. Tome 2. 1854. As \* w.-ll 

 known. PREVUST before TULASNE had observed the germination of smut spores In water and frurn 

 this had traced smut diseases to fungi living parasltlcally. 



(3) KI : HN. I)i.- Krankhi-lten der Kulturgewachse. Berlin, 1868. and later works. 



(4) The fungicide action of copper on smut spores has also been stated by PREVO8T. 



