132 The Botanical Gazette. [April, 
growth, closely attached to the side of the tube, showing the 
color of the sterile portion next the wall of the tube, and, on 
the opposite side, possessing the farinaceous appearance of 
the fruit. Eventually from several of these expanded por- 
tions of the sporophore elongated, radiating, branched, terete 
fruiting portions were developed, which altogether formed 
quite a complicated condition of this phase of the plant. 
Probably the reason that so many of the sporophores of 
the potato were very short was due to the fact that the moisture 
almost entirely disappeared before they were perfected. In 
every case, however, the free ends of these sporophores wert 
covered with the characteristic fructification. 
While no characteristic sporophores are developed at first 
when there is a large water content and the profuse growth 
of the fungus forms a long pile covering the substratum, yet 
spores are developed in great numbers. From these spores 
ona potato culture pure dilution cultures were started in nutrient 
agar, in order to study carefully the characteristics of, growth 
and the appearance of the colonies in the artificial medium, 
as well as the peculiarities of the fructification formed whet 
the sporophores are absent. Dilution cultures were made 18 
order to have the colonies properly separated in the plate 
Three dilutions were effected December 28th, at 5:30 Mey 
and were poured in Petrie dishes. From no. 1 the study of 
germination and the development of the colonies was ™# ; 
December 29th, at 12:30 Pp. M., the culture was examine® 
Only a few of the spores were germinating at this 
which were immersed in the agar were hyaline in appearan 
A few spores here and there were not wholly immersed in © 
medium, probably owing to the fact that they wer 
the dilutions were made and did not absorb sufficien 
to permit all of them to sink readily in the liquid. 
spores appeared quite dark, as if the wall was dark 1 
which resulted from the strong refraction of the light. ted 
these superficial spores germinated, the germ tube penetra 
the medium and was hyaline in appearance. Prior 
nation the spores swell considerably so that the diameter 
the spore is nearly twice what it is when the spores eee , 
tured or before they are placed under conditions favoral at 
germination. Those measured showed a diameter of 3-37 
The germ tubes were little more than 2 in diameter: Many : 
On December 30th the culture was examined aga!” 
t moisture 
n colof, 
