1910] CURRENT LITERATURE 233 
Of the various preparations proposed for the inoculation of fields, the dried 
cultures of Moore and of Borromtey are absolutely useless; it is certain that 
they either do not contain the tubercle organism at all, or it is in such condition 
as to be unable to show its action in any way. As to the efficacy of fresh 
cultures (like the nitragine of HitTNER) opinions are not unanimous, and one 
cause of the uncertainty of the results may be that the culture is eventually 
impure. 
In soils without tubercle bacteria those properly isolated by Dr’Rosst from 
the same species of host have given him good results in increased crops and added 
proportion of nitrogenous content. The manner of infection has had no effect, 
and he has not been able to discover any such unfavorable influence as was attrib- 
uted by HittNER and SrorMeER to substances in the soil or on the seed at the time 
of germination. From negative results DE’ Rossi doubts the possibility (affirmed 
by some) of improving the crop by inoculation when the soil already contains the 
organism. In another paper of the same title (included in above citation) 
Der’Rosst asserts that in his cultures, certainly pure and surely identified as the 
tubercle bacillus, no fixation of free nitrogen has taken place. As this is not 
observed in the tubercle until the bacteroids are formed, and as few bacteroids 
are formed in cultures, the result appears quite proper. Evidently the questions 
raised will require new examination —C. R. B. 
Evolution of fungi.—The construction of a phylogenetic system for the fungi 
has always been peculiarly difficult on account of the heterogeneity of the group 
and the lack of common characters uniting the forms into evolutionary series. 
Two theories have generally been suggested; one regarding the fungi as an 
autonomous group, and the other regarding them as offshoots from various groups 
of algae. Among the adherents of the algal theory of descent, a favorite method 
of treating the lower Phycomycetes (or Chytridiales) has been to consider them 
as forms derived from the higher Phycomycetes through the degenerating influence 
of parasitism. 
ATKINSON" in dealing with the evolution of this group favors the view that 
the Phycomycetes constitute an ascending evolutionary series. In support of this 
view he points out that the favorite method of accounting for the lower forms is 
fallacious, for whatever evolution occurred among the fungi took place after they 
had acquired a parasitic or saprophytic mode of life. Parasitism and saprophyt- 
ism, therefore, were general modes of life under which the whole group existed, 
and hence cannot be invoked as special factors to account for particular minor 
offshoots. Another argument for the unity of the group is found in the phenome- 
non of diplanetism, that is, the occurrence of two swarming periods of the zoospores. 
Although this phenomenon is most clearly developed in the Saprolegniales, the 
author believes it occurs in a primitive state in the Chytridiales, in some of which 
the protoplasm breaks up into the sporangium, where after an interval the zoo- 
——— An natiinatenilr 
"4 ATKINSON, G. F., Some problems in the evolution of the lower fungi. Annal. 
Mycol. 7:441~472. Jigs. 20. 1909. 
