17 



base and a part of both the flattened sides of the sporiferons bodies, 

 which correspond to the two lateral edges of the normal fruit, where 

 the remnants of the glumes remain forming, in a cross section, keel-like 

 projections (Fig. 2. A, g). These spore-masses are of olivaceous green 

 color. The coloring matter dissolves in alcohol and dilute aqueous 

 solution of potash, giving a yellow color to the fluid. These spores are 

 round, irregularly rounded, or sometimes angular, and 4-5 ju in diameter 

 (Fig. 3, A). Their membrane is beset with granular protuberances and 

 is of light olivaceous green color. The membrane becomes nearly 

 smooth and transparent, when treated with potash solution. 



If any of these sporiferons bodies be cut crosswise at their middle 

 portion, three layers surrounding the central tissue or medulla and dis- 

 tinguished by their respective colors can be clearly recognized. Thus 

 in Fig. 2 the outermost layer (a) is distinguished by its olivaceous 

 green color ; the middle (b) by its orange-yellow color ; and the inner- 

 most and thinnest by its pale yellowish color. This last layer lies 

 sometimes entirely within the middle layer, and is, in such a case, always 

 situated nearer to the medulla. Between the keelshaped remnants 

 of the glumes are found scattered here and there thick-walled cell 

 remains of the tissue of the fruit embedded in the hyphal tissue of 

 the medulla, imparting to the latter a grayish color (Fig. 2. ?•.). The 

 tissue of these sporiferous bodies is of waxy consistence and toward the 

 central portion notably harder. 



Let us now inquire into the structure of these different portions. 

 This point was touched upon by Mr. S. Hori of Tokyo Agricultural 

 Experiment Station in a previous number (1) of this magazine, where 

 he mentions several earlier writings (2) on this fungus and explains its 

 pathological and morphological nature as one of the genuine smutfungi. 

 He is fairly right as far as the mere distinction of different layers in 

 the tissue of the sporiferous bodies is concerned, but in regard to their 

 structure, more especially to the mode of spore-formation, his statement 

 is not correct, his figure showing the two layers composed only of spores 

 on the outside and a layer of hyphal threads inside being decidedly 

 erroneous. 



*» S. Hori, Diseases of Jap. ag'l plants (Jap.). This magazine Vol. VII, 1893, p. 209. 

 ( 2 ) N. Tanaka, On some smut-fungi (Jap.) This magazine Vol. Ill, p. 198. 

 — S. Hori, On some fungi injurious to rice plant (Jap.) This magazine Vol. IV, p. 

 425. etc 



