January 12, 1912] 
GUAIACUM (LIGNUM-VIT#&) 
The wood of Guaiacwum sanctum exhibits 
very fine and quite uniform cross-markings, 
visible with the aid of the lens. The rays are 
very fine, uniseriate, mostly 5-7 cells high, 
deeply colored, appearing under lens like fine 
hachures. The height of the tiers varies from 
0.15 to 0.18 mm. The scattered vessels are 
filled with a dark-colored resin which adds to 
their prominence. The vessel segments alter- 
nate with the rays. 
Guaiacum officinale L. is similar to G. 
sanctum in the arrangement of the wood ele- 
ments. The distance between markings is 
often as low as 0.11 mm. The rays are about 
0.05 mm. apart laterally and 90, vertically. 
In addition to those mentioned above, the 
writer has observed many tropical woods 
(particularly African and Brazilian) with 
tier-like arrangement of their elements. 
SaMuEL J. Recorp 
YALE FOREST SCHOOL 
A SCLEROTINIA ON APPLE 
Prior to 1902 the fungus causing the brown 
rot of fruit, both drupaceous and pomaceous, 
was, at least in this country, commonly re- 
ferred to Monilia fructigena. Norton’ ob- 
served the perfect stage of the fungus on 
peach, and ealled it Sclerotinia fructigena 
(Persoon) Schroeter. Coincident with Nor- 
ton’s work on the Sclerotinia, Aderhold,’ of 
Germany, was making a study of some forms 
of this genus and was able to secure a perfect 
stage of a Monilia on apple. He has pub- 
lished good evidence that the form of Sclero- 
tinia he found on apples was Sclerotinia 
fructigena (Persoon) Schroeter, and that the 
form Norton found on peach was Sclerotinia 
cinerea (Bon.) Schroeter instead of S. fructi- 
gena, although this name has not since been 
taken up by American authors. 
Aderhold was the first investigator to re- 
port the perfect stage of Monzlia or brown rot 
1Trans. Acad. Sci. St. Louis, Vol. 12, p. 91, 
1902. 
* Ber. Deutsch. Bot. Land. Ges., Vol. 22, p. 267, 
1904. Aderhold and Ruhland, Arbeit. Biol. Abt. 
Lamd. Forst. Gesandh., Vol. 4, p. 29, 1905. 
SCIENCE 77 
fungus on apple, and it has not, so far as I 
know, been reported since. 
I have recently (November, 1911) obtained 
apothecia of Sclerotinia upon mummied 
apples, which were strikingly different in some 
respects from those described by Aderhold. 
These were produced by placing mummied 
apples in a greenhouse during April, 1911. 
The mummied fruits were lying upon the 
surface of the soil and were of course sub- 
jected to alternate wetting and drying. Dur- 
ing the following summer the greenhouse was 
neglected and the mummies became very dry, 
which may to some extent account for the 
growth of the apothecia later on during the 
season. The sclerotia remained apparently 
dormant until a light heat was applied in the 
building during November. They were first 
observed by me November 13, 1911. The 
temperature in the greenhouse at this time 
was very similar to that of spring conditions, 
which, I think, was mainly responsible for the 
growth of the apothecia. 
When collecting these decayed fruits only 
those were selected that were thought to have 
been grown two seasons previously. Of a 
dozen or more mummies placed in the green- 
house, all disappeared during the summer but 
eight; of these eight, five produced forty-one 
apothecia. 
The apothecia arose from the characteristic 
sclerotia of this genus. The cups varied in 
size from one to four mm. across. When 
young they were decidedly campanulate, 
then flattening to a disk and later becom- 
ing cup-shaped again. In color they varied 
from a cinnamon-brown to gray, when mature. 
The mummies were all lying upon the sur- 
face of the soil, therefore there was no neces- 
sity for a long growth of stipe. Its length 
ranged on the average from 1 to 2.5mm. One 
stipe made a growth of one half centimeter. 
In general, the parts of the apothecia are 
very similar to those growing upon peach, 
and also to those described by Aderhold as 
growing upon apple. The most striking dis- 
similarity is in size, the new form being much 
smaller, 
The asci measure 44 to 64 microns long and 
