


Ce eee ae 
i901] GERMINATION OF SPORES 49 
Methyl] alcohol is slower in action, and eventually less effective. 
Immersion of spores for short periods of time in injurious con- 
centrations of ethyl alcohol, and subsequently sowing these 
spores in water cultures, afford no stimulus for germination. 
The results with phenol, here only partially given, were 
unusually variable. More than with any other substance used, 
difficulty was here experienced from the evaporation and changes 
in form,of the drop within the culture cell, which may partially 
account for the dissimilarity of results. 
Experiments with chloroform were not made in drop culture, 
but an exposure of half an hour in a saturated atmosphere was 
found fatal to Aspergillus and Phycomyces, and without bene- 
ficial effect upon Sterigmatocystis. 
Ether has proved of little consequence as a stimulus, except 
with Aspergillus at the lowest concentrations used. This was 
hardly to be expected in consideration of its action on the cell 
activities. It is to be noted that all of the above mentioned 
substances penetrate membranes immediately.*5 
At the end of fifteen hours there is an almost inappreciable 
stimulus with camphor, but its effect gradually increases to the 
third day. 
With Aspergillus flavus germination in pure water was 
increased 10 to 20 per cent. when vaseline was used for cement- 
ing the covers to the rings. 
The above experiments with Aspergillus on alcohol, camphor, 
strychnine, and vaseline were repeated in flask cultures. Again 
2 concentration of — alcohol gave more than 50 per cent. ger- 
mination; but under these conditions camphor, strychnine, and 
vaseline gave uniformly little or no germination. This, as wel 
as other experiments, suggested conditions in the hanging drop 
more favorable for germination than in flask culture. 
esides the results presented in Table V, an interesting fact 
is noted in connection with hydrochloric acid, as well as later 
“Overton, E.: Ueber die osmotischen Eigenschaften der lebenden Pflanzen- 
und Tierzelle. Vierteljahrsch. d. Naturf. Ges. in Zurich go: 1-43. 1895. 
Mo,Bot. Garden, 
