— 114 — 



and dense, the colour must resemble that of the port-wine. The 

 best way is to take 1000 cubic c/m. of water and 80 to 100 grams 

 of dung, boil all together, and after letting it, infuse, not longer 

 than 10 to 15 minutes, filter it. Under the abovementioned con- 

 ditions the development of the fungus proceeded rapidly and 

 equally Avell on both nourishing mediums, and if at first it was 

 easier to obtain the h-uiting culture on horse dung, afterwards 

 Avith a certain practice, same good results were obtained by using 

 horse dung infusion with IV2V0 ^»^^ (excepting Sporormia, 

 see page 131). 



The P. fimiseda (for other species the experiments were not 

 made) was brought up not only on an essentially horse dung me- 

 dium but also on the following nourishing substratum: to the agar 

 Avith decoction of horse dung was added: 1) 17o pepton, 2) 0,57o 

 asparagine, 3) P/o glucosis, 4) 37o glucosis, 5) decoction of black 

 prunes, 6) 17o inuline. Good results, that is mature fruit bodies, 

 Avere obtained only by the culture № 6, in vdiich the quantity of 

 ripe perithecia was distinctly less than on ordinary horse dung me- 

 dium. As to the other five cultures, the young perithecia (which 

 in normal conditions began their formation on the seventh, or 

 ■eighth day), soon stopped their development and in their stead 

 appeared a great number of some sort of small knots, formed of 

 densely interwoven short hyphae of dark fawn or quite black colour. 

 The small knots grew on and within the substratum, shot out on 

 its surface and covered the walls of the vessels, in which the cul- 

 tures were placed with a dense layer. ' One of such cultures, with 

 a decoction of black prunes, was left for further observation. After 

 more than two months (from the 4-th of January to the 13-th of 

 March) on the surface of the agar were developed about ten pe- 

 rithecia, which ripened completely on the 25-th of March. Evi- 

 dently excess of nourishment hindered the normal development in 

 the abovementioned nourishing mediums, and fruit bodies appeared 

 only at the exhaustion of it (it is true in very limited number). 

 As to tlie small knots, which doubtless, are the sklerocia in Podo- 

 spora, their outer appearance did not change during this period of 

 time. Their further fate was not examined. 



The moister of the horse dung is of great importance to the ve- 

 getative growth and the number of the developing perithecia. The 



