20 British Uvedinee and Ustilaginea. 
and suggested that this may in itself be the fecundative 
act, but the same objection obtains to this latter suggestion 
as to the former. 
As far as I can judge, the balance of evidence is against 
the supposition that the spermatia are sexual organs. The 
other supposition, that they are conidia, is more plausible ; 
but one would have thought, had such been the case, it 
would have been capable of demonstration. I have at- 
tempted various experimental cultures with these bodies, 
but uniformly without result. These consisted of the 
application of the spermogonia in active germination in 
honey and water— 
1, To the foliage of the plant upon which the spermo- 
gonia occur. Thus the spermatia of 4cidium ranunculi 
repentts were applied to the healthy foliage of Ranunculus 
repens (Exp. 123) ;* of Restelia cornutato Sorbus aucuparia 
(Exp. 124); of cidium bellidis to Bellis perennis (Exp. 
244, 247). 
2. To the corresponding host-plant bearing the uredo- 
spores and teleutospores, The spermatia of Zcidium ber- 
beridis were applied to wheat (Exp. 392). 
3. Remembering the fact that the spermatia are carried 
by insects, and that they germinate so freely in honey, they 
were applied to the stigmata of certain flowers, I was 
further induced to try these experiments from the frequency 
with which the fruit of so many plants in this country are 
attacked by the zcidiospores of some of the Uredinex ; for 
instance, the Mahonia berries, the barberry fruit, the goose- 
berry, and the fruit of the hawthorn, The spermatia of 
Asc. bellidis were applied to the stigmata of Bellis perennis 
(Exp. 267), and those of 4c. ficarie to Ranunculus jicaria 
(Exp. 274), but no result was obtained ; the infected plants 
produced in due course perfectly normal ripe seeds, 
* The numbers of these experiments refer to my private note-book of 
experimental cultures, 
