— 112 — 



which was from time to time brought to the laboratory. The dung' 

 was placed on a plate covered with a glass-bell. In about two 

 weeks after the „falling of the bloom" of different Mucoraceae, ail 

 the surface of the substratum was generally strewn with numerous 

 dark perithecia, of the representatives of the Sordariaceae. On one 

 and same place three to four species developed, but generally they 

 all grew in separate groups and did not mix together. The mature 

 fruit bodies of the Sordaria, Podospora and Sporormia scatter out 

 of their ostiole the spores into a comparatively large space (from 

 2 c/m. Sporormia, to Vj^ d/m. P. fimiseda), and owing to this fact, 

 it was easy to separate them from the spores of other fungi, луЫсЬ 

 developed together with them on the horse dung. Cover-glasses, 

 supported by carbonized matches were placed over the perithecia. 

 The scattered spores reached the glass and closely adhered to it, 

 after withering, Avith their mucilaginous appendages. This simple 

 and efficient means of gathering spores, combined with their fa- 

 culty of quick germination, made it possible to obtain an unli- 

 mited quantity of their mycelium and easily separate the fungi for 

 pure culture. 



The germination of the spores (excepting Sporormia, • which had 

 to be placed under quite different conditions, as described further 

 on page 131) presented absolutely no difficulty. They easily germed, in 

 room temperature of 18" C. The cover-glasses were placed with the 

 spores addering to them, in a cup with a sterilized, faintly alka- 

 lized, decoction of horse dung, or into moist cameras ivith a drop 

 of water. In the first case next day, and in the second case in two 

 days (for Sordaria still quicker, in several hours), thin long hyphae 

 of the fungus, already covered all the surface of the cover- 

 glasses *). Then they were . placed in cups with sterilized horse 

 dung and after some time (about three Aveeks) one could observe 



1) Also an attempt was made to make the spores germ by means, proposed 

 by Dodge, for different species of the AscoboUaceae. The spores were put into 

 cups with acidified and alkalized decoction of horse dung and placed in a cup- 

 board, where they were subjected to the action of high temperature 40^, 50^, 

 60° and 75°, during 5 to 15 minutes. A good result Avas obtained for P. anse- 

 rina, P. setosa and Sordaria. They germed quicker than in ordinary circum- 

 stances. But the spores of P. fimiseda, P. curvula, P. coprophila and Sporor- 

 mia did not germ in these conditions. 



