544 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [yUNE 
hexoses. Grown in the light in a mineral solution containing 
sugar, SERVETTAZ found that in 4 months Hypnum purum assimi- 
lated sugar, as given in table I. 
TABLE I 
Original amount of 
Sugar sugar Sugar used 
CICORE ae 0.25 gm 0.07 gm 
LeVulose 6 os oe, « 0.2 0.065 
ROME Sa) aie cule cece 0.25 0.01 
Maltoses 0.400. 4 0.25 0.005 
Cane sugar... .... 0.25 0.012 
SERVETTAZ also found that peptone is assimilated by the mosses 
if present in concentrations below 2 parts per 1000. Inulin appar- 
ently is not assimilated. 
The observations hy von Ustscu on the assimilation of organic 
carbon by the mosses were few. _ He grew several species of mosses 
in pure culture and noted the presence of large starch grains in the 
protonema of Funaria hygrometrica grown in the dark on a nutrient 
agar containing peptone and glucose. On the same agar lacking 
peptone and glucose the starch grains were very small. 
Investigation 
Although SERVETTAz and von Usiscu both obtained pure 
cultures from the spores in the capsules of various mosses, the moss 
used in this work was accidentally obtained in pure culture. It 
was found growing as a contamination in one of the culture vessels 
used by Knupson (3) in his investigation of the assimilation of 
organic compounds by the higher plants. Transferred to a nutrient 
agar it grew well. The protonema penetrated the soft agar and 
moss plants eventually were produced. It was identified as 
Ceratodon purpureus L. by Dr. A. L. ANDREws of Cornell Uni- 
versity, to whom the writer expresses his thanks. 
UsE OF ORGANIC CARBON.—Preliminary experiments showed 
that Ceratodon purpureus can'assimilate organic carbon. In test 
tubes on a nutrient agar containing glucose the growth in the 
light was 4 or 5 times as luxuriant as on the nutrient agar lacking 
