224 



Mycologia 



With the purpose of inducing the sclerotium to produce a carpo- 

 phore, one half of the larger specimen was placed on a glass surface 

 under a bell jar and kept in the laboratory throughout the summer. 

 No attention was given it beyond keeping it moist. The cut sur- 

 face, which had been placed next to the glass, promptly produced 

 a dark-brown, felty cortex which, as it aged, became more and more 

 like the coat which covered the original surface (PI. 17, f. 2, and 

 pi. 18, f. 3). After this coat was formed, no change having been 

 noted for several weeks, the sclerotium was placed in moist sand 

 between some cotton plants on a greenhouse bench. It was again 

 placed with the newly cut surface down. The only attention paid 

 to the fungus during the winter was to uncover occasionally the 

 upper half to discover any possible outgrowths. As in several 

 months no change could be observed in the sclerotium aside from 

 a slight yielding under pressure, it was dug out, upon which sev- 

 eral interesting things were revealed. A rather large, black, root- 

 like outgrowth had been put out from the lower surface of the 

 sclerotium at the edge of the cut surface (PI. 18, f. 4). This had 

 spread out fan-wise as it reached the wood of the bench and spread 

 over the surface of the wood for some distance. It seemed to be 

 very securely attached to the pine-wood bench. Other strands had 

 produced cylindrical sheaths covering two cotton roots which came 

 in their way. 



In detaching the fungus from the bench, the main rhizomorph 

 was broken and several large drops of a milky fluid were exuded 

 from the broken ends, principally from the one attached to the 

 main sclerotium. This fluid was odorless and tasteless, as far as 

 could be determined. One of the fungous sheaths surrounding the 

 cotton roots was removed to observe, if possible, any effect on the 

 root. Except for being a little brighter colored (supposedly be- 

 cause it was cleaner) than the parts of the root outside of the 

 sheath, no effect on the root could be observed. The sclerotium 

 was again placed in its position on the greenhouse bench, where, 

 after several months, it was found that no further development 

 had occurred, and that the rhizomorph had disintegrated (PI. 18, 

 i. 3). The sclerotium was again cut in two for examination. It 

 had much the same appearance as when first found, except that it 



