News and Noies 



ascogenous hyphae except in the tip where the nuclei fuse to form 

 the primary nucleus of the ascus. The ascogenous hyphae grow 

 out from the ascogonium and are multinucleate from the first. 

 The tips of the smaller branches of the ascogenous hyphae are 

 cut off and contain two nuclei. No uninucleate cells were ob- 

 served. The two nuclei pass into the bent portion and divide. 

 Walls are formed between the daughter nuclei thus forming a 

 binucleate penultimate and uninucleate ultimate and antipenulti- 

 mate cell which represents a typical hook. The penultimate cell 

 gives rise to an ascus direct or divides to form other hooks. 



The first division in the ascus is heterotypic and the second and 

 third are similar to those in the ascogonium. — F. J. Scaver. 



A Preliminary Report on the Yearly Origin and Dissemination 

 of Puccinia graminis. — A paper by Mr. Fred J. Pritchard under 

 the above title in the Botanical Gazette for September contains 

 the record of the observations of the author of the paper for 

 several years past, together with the results of recent experi- 

 mental work on the germination of rusted wheat grains. 



The absence of the barberry in several regions where Puccinia 

 graminis is prevalent seems to indicate that the heteroecism of 

 the fungus is merely facultative. While the existence of a peren- 

 nial mycelium has been established for several of the rusts this 

 has not been proven for Puccinia graminis. 



Eriksson after extensive experiments in Sweden divides Puc- 

 cinia graminis into several biological forms. His conclusions 

 however have not been supported by Carleton's work in America. 



The experiments of Pritchard show that Puccinia graminis 

 passes readily from wheat, Agropyron tcnerum, A. repens, Hor- 

 deum juhatum and Elymus triticoides to the barberry. His ob- 

 servations also seem to indicate that the aeciospores and uredo- 

 spores are not carried to great distances by the wind. 



The pericarp of rusted wheat grains is frequently filled with 

 rust mycelium and pustules of teleutospores. Pieces of myce- 

 lium resembling rust were found in cells of the scutellum close to 

 the growing plant. It is suggested as a possibility that the 

 mycelium of the rust might in this way infect the young plant 

 and later take on a virulent form. — F. J. Seaver. 



