1901] : GERMINATION OF SPORES 53 
germination observed, and such an occurrence of salts could 
only come from the well-cleaned glass surface. 
As a check on the carefully prepared distilled water, cover 
glasses were moistened over a steam jet, and upon this condensa- 
tion the spores were sown as before, the results also being 
parallel to those previously obtained. 
The possible stimulus of rapid evaporation gave only nega- 
tive results in the following experiment: Properly cleaned 
ground-glass slips were placed on benches (glass rings) in Petri. 
dishes of distilled water. Strips of filter paper which had been 
soaked for days in acidulated water and then in distilled water 
were passed over the edges of the slips with the ends reaching 
into the water. A clear ground-glass surface of nearly an inch 
was left between the strips, and on this the spores were sown. 
This arrangement sufficed to keep a constant thin film of moist- 
ure over the glass from which evaporation might readily ensue. 
The covers of the Petri dishes were slightly raised, and these 
cultures were placed in a fairly dry atmosphere, in ordinary 
laboratory atmosphere, and in a moist chamber. After twenty- 
four hours there was from 10 to 20 per cent. of germination, 
and those cultures in the dry atmosphere gave perhaps less than 
the other two. Surface tension could hardly be considered a 
factor, for these fungi remained practically unchanged after a 
month on the surface of water in flask cultures. 
To test the effect of contact and surface tension with the 
Evaporation factor eliminated, well cleaned glass tubes were 
drawn out into a capillary end to be used as a culture cell. The 
tube was partially filled with water and the spores inserted. 
The water was then forced out until the spores reached capillary 
parts, when the larger end was also closed with water. Such 
cultures gave very slight germination after two days. 
Attempts to increase the surface tension by means of small 
quantities of oil in the water gave only negative results. Massart*° 
found surface tension productive of contact phenomena in 
. “Cte J.: La sensibilité tactile chez les organismes inférieures. Journ. 
- méd, et nat. de Bruxelles, December 1890 
