94 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



The spores are thrown off as the disk dries up. If fresh 

 apothecia are kept for a time in a moist atmosphere and then 

 exposed to a dryer or blown upon by currents of air or the 

 breath, a distinct cloud of spores can be seen discharged 

 which ascends several centimeters high and is wafted away by 

 the slisfhtest air current. When held in the sunlight the in- 

 dividual spores can apparently be seen with the naked eye. 

 The discharge of spores can be several times repeated by 

 additional drying, and after a rest still others may be given 

 off. Not nearly all the spores are ejaculated, as old dry indi- 

 viduals contain many asci intact and others with a few spores. 



The spores germinate in water in 6-10 hours sending out a 

 small germ-tube or promycelium after swelling to twice their 

 diameter. Usually this tube does not attain in water more than 

 30-40 fM in length. I have not observed the formation of 

 sporidia such as are described by Woronin and Humphrey. 

 The outer coat of the spore is probably thrown off in ger- 

 mination. 



In bouillon or prune juice a much more vigorous growth 

 takes place. A small branched mycelium is formed, which 

 in drop cultures, which I have made, has rarely developed 

 conidia. A few cells in some of the hyphae after long stand- 

 ing and slow growth took on a form approximating that of 

 the Monilia spores and in some cases a few small sporidia(?) 

 were developed (Plate XVIII, figs. 8, 9). 



Beautiful and almost always pure, agar plate cultures 

 were obtained by holding a sterile cover-glass with a drop of 

 liquid for a moment over the discharging asci, dropping it into 

 a tube of bouillon and then preparing the plates in the usual 

 manner. This method was suggested to me by Dr. Erwin F. 

 Smith, who has provided me with many facilities for making 

 these studies. Several colonies developed in plates prepared 

 in this way and in such large preponderance over others as to 

 give certainty to their origin, although it must be remem- 

 bered that Monilia conidia are apt to be plentiful in the air 

 and contaminations of a very undesirable character result. 

 The mycelium developed was very similar to that obtained 

 in agar and bouillon tubes, a radiating dense layer of shining 

 white, branched mycelium gradually growing wider to in 



