50 



Mycologia 



experienced predecessors. The paucity of results is wholly 

 ascribable to the lateness in beginning the work and to the unsea- 

 sonable weather. 



Only one direct excursion was made to supply material for this 

 year's cultures. Early in March the writer, accompanied by Mr. 

 Ray Stretch, a graduate of the Lafayette High School, who 

 rendered efficient service and proved a keen observer, visited the 

 region bodering the Mississippi Sound from Ocean Springs to 

 Pass Christian, Miss., well known from the thorough field work 

 and numerous publications of Professor S. M. Tracy, whose 

 home is at Biloxi, between the two places mentioned. The spe- 

 cial object in view was to secure material of Gymno sporangium 

 hermudianum, the only autoecious species known belonging to 

 this genus, both for culture and for morphological work. Hope 

 was also entertained that fresh material of species of Perider- 

 mium, with field observations to assist in culture work, might be 

 secured. The region was found to possess the fewest rusts, both 

 in number of species and in their abundance, of any section yet 

 visited for observational purposes. 



Upon request a visit to Newfield, N. J., was made by Dr. Frank 

 D. Kern, studying during the collegiate year at Columbia Uni- 

 versity, New York, accompanied by Mr. B. O. Dodge, a graduate 

 student of the same institution. The object was to secure ma- 

 terial of several species of Gymnosporangium for cultures. New- 

 field was chosen, as it was for many years the home of Mr. J. B. 

 Ellis, and his collections show a number of hitherto poorly un- 

 derstood species, whose aecia are still unknown. Probably the 

 most interesting of these is a small foliicolous form on the white 

 cedar, recently described as G. fraternum Kern. A note found 

 in the Ellis collection at the New York Botanical Garden gave 

 evidence that it was common in a certain swamp twenty-five years 

 ago. The particular spot was found, and the fungus secured. 

 One day was spent in this vicinity, and seven species of Gym- 

 nosporangium were collected. Among these were G. Ellisii, 

 whose aecial stage is suspected to be the rare Roestelia hyalina, 

 and the recently named G. effusum. The last is a large form on 

 branches, very destructive to the red cedar, and yet never issued 

 in exsiccati. It is the only one collected on this trip from which 

 infection was obtained. 



