118 C. D. Sherbakoff 



fundamental work on this subject^* — so that comparison can be made 

 easily. The drawings represent all types of conidia, abnormal ones 

 included, so that no one may be misled by types actually observed by him 

 and by those given here. This might easily be the case if only normal 

 material were presented, because our understanding of what is normal is 

 very relative, is often too broad, and seldom corresponds to the things 

 as they are. The particular forms that seemed to be normal are indicated 

 by the drawings in figure 1 (page 122). 



Usually no attempt was made to represent the structure of the cell 

 content, because it was not considered of taxonomic value. In those 

 few cases in which the structure of the "plasma seemed to be characteristic 

 it is shown in a very approximate way. 



The microscopical character of the mycelium, so far as observed by 

 the writer, cannot be used for specific differentiation of these fungi ; there- 

 fore no attention has been given it, either in drawings or in measurements, 

 except in a very few instances when certain striking peculiarities have been 

 so recorded (Figs. 34m and 43l). 



In giving measurements of the size of spores, it was considered neces- 

 sary, first, to give an average size for conidia from a particular culture, 

 as well as the average of the measurements for the entire series of cultures. 

 Thus the measurements have a definite meaning and are comparable 

 with one another, provided the measurements are taken separately for 

 each type of spore. 



In arranging the species according to their relationship it was found 

 convenient to follow Wollenweber's example (1913 a: 26-27), and divide 

 all the Fusaria into sections. Most of the sections are the same as those 

 of Wollenweber, but because of some organisms presented here that could 

 not be placed in any of his sections, certain new sections have been estab- 

 lished provisionally. 



In connection with taxonomic study and presentation of the Fusaria, 

 it is necessary to discuss, at least briefly, the conception of the so-called 

 normal culture. The observations of the writer in this regard are princi- 

 pally of the same nature as those of Appel and Wollenweber (1910:21-22) 

 and can be summarized as follows: 



1. A culture can be in the state of undevelopment (Ankultur) when 

 the growth shows mycelium to the entire exclusion of, or to an abnormally 



3< It is firmly believed that standardization of the subject presented is especially important in the study 

 of this difficult group of fungi. 



