1893. ] On Monilia Fructigena. 87 
host, and, breaking finally through its surface in fascicles, 
pass directly into the external spore-threads. 
The mature spores germinate readily under the influence 
- of warmth and moisture, and produce short threads which 
ordinarily perish after a few days in water that contains no 
available nourishment beyond that stored up in the spore. 
In a natural or artificial nutrient substratum the germ-tubes 
gtow rapidly, penetrating and ramifying through the sub- 
stratum and soon breaking out through its surface in tufts of 
spore-threads. Since the spores germinate so readily and are 
so thin-walled, it has been assumed that their vitality is of 
brief duration and that they constitute a so-called conidial 
stage of some fungus, perhaps one of the Ascomycetes. 
Woronin has suggested*® that it may bear such a relation. to 
some Sclerotinia. In the absence of knowledge of its affini- 
ties it has been classed among the imperfect fungi, being 
Placed by Saccardo!* in his Mucedineae ameros porae. 
Smith has lately observed!*® that the spores retain their 
Vitality, 
=a the present writer!® have found that the dried tissues of 
ruits gs 
ditions favorable to vegetation. Thus, when a fruit that has 
ven “Mummified’’ by the fungus is gathered in winter or early 
ees, it Commonly sends out new spore-chains of the 
» on being placed in the moist chamber. And 
do away with a necessity for any other stage in 
plant and make it possible to believe in the 
OR, orm under discussion. 
hv In brief, is the present status of our knowledge of the 
the sion; tds the object of this paper to describe and discuss 
‘snificance of certain previously undescribed structures 
13 
Mé : 
14g la, Acad. Sci, St. Petersburg, VII. xxxvi, no. 6: 1888. 
rea Fungorum, wv, 34, 
18T oe races Vil, 36; 1892. 
