42 THE LARCH CANKER 
scope of the present inquiry. That spermogonia and 
spermatia can continue to be formed after they have 
become functionless is shown by the rusts, where first 
Blackman (1904) and later Christman (1905) and others 
have shown that fertilization occurs through the fusion of 
neighbouring hyphae just at the time when the spermatia 
are shed. The spermatia of Dasyscypha recall those of the 
rusts in many respects. They are small cells which do not 
germinate; they are set free just at the time when the 
young apothecia are appearing, and they are forced out in 
a mass of mucilaginous liquid. We are thus justified in 
calling these organs ‘ spermogonia ’ and ‘spermatia’ with 
de Bary and Willkomm, rather than * pycnidia’ and 
‘conidia ’ with Brefeld and Massee. In either case they 
appear to be entirely functionless, and only the vestigial 
remains of what was once part of. the reproductive 
system. ‘ 
Germination of the spores. If ascospores are required for 
germination, it is essential that they should be ripe and 
naturally ejected. They may be collected by placing 
apothecia on damp filter-paper on the bottom of a drop- 
culture chamber. The spores are ejected in eights, and 
usually cling to the overlying cover-slip as a cluster; but 
not infrequently. they are somewhat scattered, five or six 
appearing in one spot, whilst two or three separate spores 
hit neighbouring parts of the cover-slip at the same time. 
Sometimes it is impossible to trace more than six or seven 
of the eight spores of an ascus, probably because the last 
one or two spores to leave the ascus are not expelled with 
sufficient velocity to reach the cover-slip. In support of 
this view it has been observed that when the cover-slip is 
raised by another culture-ring placed on the top of the 
first one, it frequently happens that not more than four of 
the spores reach the cover-slip. If two rings are placed 
above the first, making three in all, none of the spores 
reach the cover-slip, though the apothecia be subsequently 
proved to be ejecting spores. The height of a culture-ring 
is 5 mm., so that the maximum distance of ejection of 
