[a 
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1904] CURRENT LITERATURE 159 
made with a study of the vegetative life of the yellow rust of wheat, Puccinia 
glumarum, a species not known outside of Europe, and for which no aecidium. 
as been discovered. 
After an introduction, in which some of the difficulties in explaining infection 
and distribution are indicated that have arisen since DEBARy’s time, the materials 
and methods for the investigation are described. Modern histological methods 
were employed. Best results were obtained with FLEmMMING’s fixative, and 
FLEMMING’s safranin-gentian-violet-orange stain. From October 6 to October 
27, 1902, and April 28 to June 18, 1903, no trace of mycelium was found in any 
of the microtome sections, but in many cells a protoplasmic mixture occurred, 
which the author has called mycoplasm, because he believes it to be a mixture 
of the common protoplasm of the cell and the protoplasm of the rust derived from 
the germinating seed. The mycoplasm does not at first interfere with the 
chlorophyll grains or nucleus, but these disappear after a time, and the cell wall 
is filled with a uniform granular mass. 
As the wheat plant continues to grow there appears in the intercellular spaces 
similar granular masses, which soon become filamentous, although possessing 
no walls ornuclei. As development proceeds, however, well-defined nuclei appear. 
This naked intercellular stage, whether with or without nuclei, the author desig- 
hates as protomycelium. This stage is soon followed by the appearance of 
bounding walls to the filaments, and after a time cross walls, when the ordinary 
vegetative state of the fungus is attained. 
Although the author has not been able to trace the transition between the 
form within the cells, mycoplasm, and the form between the cells, protomycelium, 
he is confident that the first gives rise to the second. : 
Whether or not this clearly stated and well-illustrated article carries conviction 
to the reader, it nevertheless is a satisfaction to be able so clearly to apprehend 
the grounds upon which the mycoplasm theory is based. 
In a recent article KLEBAHN3® has supplemented one of his earlier articles3? 
with details bearing directly upon the mycoplasm theory. He gives figures in the 
text showing essentially the same phenomena which ErrkssoN has so strikingly cet 
forth with colored plates. The lack of perfect agreemen* between the two authors 
can well be ascribed to manipulation of the preparations. But the conclusions 
drawn from these studies by KLEBAHN are wholly different from those reached by 
ERIKssoN, and favor a theory of abnormal and accidental conditions rather than a 
theory of mycoplasma.—J. C. ARTHUR. 
te 
3 KLEBARN, H., Einige Bemerkungen iiber das Mycel des Gelbrostes und iiber 
— Phase der Mykoplasma Hypothese. Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Gesells. 22: 255-261. 
% Zeits. Pfl. Krank. 10:88 et seq. Ig00. 
