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The minutes of the meetings of February 28 and March 13 were 

 read and approved. 



The following were elected to membership: 

 Charles Carroll Greene, 181 Beebe Ave., Long Island City, N. Y. 

 Leland S. Smith, Alturas, Modoc Co., California. 

 Miss Rose Wald, 245 Lowery St., Long Island City, N. Y. 



After the reading and discussion of a letter from Dr. Francis 

 \V. Pennell, it was voted to leave the matter of securing a 

 Bibliographer to a special committee consisting of the President 

 and Secretary. 



The first paper of the scientific program was on "Onion 

 Smut" by Mr. A. W. Blizzard. The speaker's abstract follows: 



Spores of Urocystis Cepulae germinate immediately after 

 maturity in onion decoction or onion agar. The first indication 

 of germination is the putting forth of a spherical promycelium 

 which varies in size. The promycelium soon buds off a varying 

 number of mycelial threads, usually up to eight in number. 

 These mycelial threads branch, and, by continued growth, a 

 tuft of mycelium is soon produced about the germinating spore- 

 ball. No sporidia are produced. 



Mycelium of U. Cepulae was grown in pure culture on onion 

 agar, and transferred to the following media: sterile bean, 

 carrot, onion, and onion agar. A luxuriant growth was obtained 

 in each case. Forty-eight hours after transfer, it appears as a 

 fiufify, snow-white, little mycelial ball. In five to seven days, the 

 mycelium has spread itself to the extent of a centimeter or more 

 in diameter. At this time a characteristic wrinkling appears, 

 which serves to distinguish the organism. The color is at first 

 white, then gray. The culture may be transferred a number of 

 times without losing vitality. 



The cells of the mycelium of old cultures tend to round up 

 and are easily broken apart. If these separate mycelial cells 

 are placed on new onion agar or in onion decoction, each cell 

 will germinate by sending out a branching mycelium, which, 

 in turn, will produce a mass of mycelium. Thus each cell of 

 the saprophytic mycelium may function as a spore. In this 

 way the fungus maintains itself in the soil, by which process the 

 soil is continually being re-infected, the mycelium growing sapro- 

 phytically. Infection tests were made as follows: onion seeds 

 were sterilized and placed in a sterile moist chamber. Ger- 



