———- 
130 The Botanical Gazette. 
Upon reaching the laboratory with the material an attempt 
was made to cultivate the fungus in ordinary culture media. 
Accordingly dilution cultures were started in the usual way 
for the separation of the organism in agar-agar peptone broth, 
the three dilutions made in culture tubes being poured into 
Petrie dishes. The cultures were started at about 5 P. M. on 
the same day as the collection was made, Oct. 28th. On 
the following morning an examination was made at 10 A. M. 
No spores were seen which had germinated, though a vey 
thorough search was not made. Oct. 30th, at 9:30 A. Ma 
second examination was made. Numerous spores had ge 
minated and growth was progressing finely. One or two 
germ tubes issue from a single spore, and their points of 
origin, when there is more than one, may be on opposite sides 
of the spore or on the same side. The general course of the 
threads at first, when branching does not occur, is quite 
straight, but the outline of the thread is variously sinuous 
Septa probably occur at this stage but they could not be ob 
served while examining the culture in the agar. The proto- 
plasm is very finely granular, and appears to be massed to- 
gether in certain parts of the thread and_ spore, the other 
Spaces being occupied with a homogeneous or watery sub- 
stance. The study of the stages of germination ie — 
es 
from culture no. 1 by placing the Petrie dish upon t 
of the microscope. The spores on the sporophores of 
fungus were so numerous and the material was in such 4 fresh 4 
condition that very few foreign organisms appeared in dilu- 
tions 1 and 2, while dilution no. 3 was pure, and the sep 
ation was effected without any difficulty. From this se 
aration pure cultures were started by transplanting the fung® 
to culture tubes of ordinary agar, bean stems, and poe 4 
n fact pure cultures were also obtained by touching 4 ast 
platinum needle to the spores on the clavula of the spor 
phore and then thrusting it into nutrient agar. But the ge 4 
aration was considered necessary in order to have proof in hat | 
case of such small germs that the growth obtained was 8 4 
of the desired plant by watching the germination of the $ a a 
and the development of the colonies from these isolated CCF 
ters in the dilutions. ee 7 
The fungus grows quite rapidly on artificial media ae a4 
culture tubes, soon forming on the surface of the sage 
dense velvety growth with quite a long pile. \® or 
