1898 ] THE GERMINATION OF FERN AND MOSS SPORES 27 
obtained by Borodin. In 1872 Kny* obtained results which con- 
tradicted those of Gdppert for Osmunda spores. The next 
work of importance was that of Schelting’® in 1875. He investi- 
gated the spores of four different species and found that in all 
cases germination occurred in the dark. One of the species 
which he used, Aneimia Phyllitidis, was also used by Borodin in 
the investigations above cited. I have not had access to the 
original paper, but the probability is, from the review, that the 
cultures were kept at a temperature higher than the normal 
room temperature. : 
Again later, G. Beck”? has shown that the spores of Scolopen- 
drium vulgare germinate only when exposed to light. 
Milde™® and Sadebeck”? have shown that the spores of Equise- 
tum germinate in the dark as well as in the light ; while Leitgeb” 
in his excellent work on the liverworts has shown that darkness 
prevents the germination of the spores ; also that faint illumina- 
tion causes the development of protonemata which differ 
markedly in form from those grown under normal illumination. 
With this short historical summary as an introduction I pro- 
ceed to the results of my own investigations. 
III]. EXPERIMENTAL. 
The majority of the cultures were made either upon filter- 
paper, pieces of flower pots, or earth placed in Petri dishes 
and carefully sterilized. Any special methods will be described 
in connection with the experiments themselves. 
I. MOSS SPORES. 
First as to the experiments with moss spores. Cultures of 
Funaria hygrometrica spores were made, and in one case exposed 
to normal illumination, and in another placed in the dark cham- 
*S Jahrb. f. wiss, Bot. 8: 4. 1872. 
*° Bot. Jahresber. 3: 328. 1875. 
* Sitzungsber. d Akad. d. Wiss. Wien. 74: 1. 1876. 
