FUNGI OF IMPORTANCE IN THE DECAY OF TIMBERS. 33 
tests. This method was not entirely satisfactory, but was the best 
that could be used in view of the lack of chlamydospores in quantity 
on the aerial mycelium. This method would not produce results 
with the chlamydospores of Lentinus lepideus, however, because they 
could not be separated from the mycelium, which appeared to be 
rather tough. The spores were not abundant in the first place, and 
germination tests on the few obtained were unsatisfactory, because 
the mycelium in the macerated mass overgrew the germinating 
chlamydospores. 
All of the secondary spores germinate readily on various agars or 
in tap water. In distilled water numerous tests have shown that 
the oidia germinate sparingly (usually less than 1 per cent and 
produce only a small amount of attenuated mycelium. The chlanrydo- 
spores could not fairly be tested in distilled water, on account of 
the difficult}' in obtaining the spores free from mycelium, agar, etc., 
as explained above. On red spruce the secondary spores germinate 
normally as to time and manner, although forming attenuated 
mycelium. 
TEMPERATURE. 
The curves shown in figure 3 represent the effect of temperature 
upon the germination of oidia of Lemites sepiaria and L. trabea 
and the chlamydospores of Trametes seridlis. It will be noted that 
most of the oidia of both species germinated even at the extreme 
temperatures. At 5° C. (22° F.) in 5 days only 35 per cent of the 
oidia of L. sepiaria had germinated, 75 per cent in 11 days, and 80 
per cent in 14 days. At 44° C. (111° F.) the oidia of both L. sepiaria 
and L. trabea germinated to practically 100 per cent in 20 hours. 
The oidia of L. sepiaria germinated most rapidly at 36° C. (97° F.) 
and that of L. trabea at 32° C. (89° F.). 
About 75 per cent of the chlamydospores of Trametes seridlis ger- 
minated between 20° and 32° C. (68° and 89° F.). In three weeks 
35 per cent germinated at 50° C, but none germinated at 36° in re- 
peated tests. The rate of development was optimum around 28° 
and 32° C. (82° and 89° F.). 
A comparison of the cardinal temperatures for rate of germina- 
tion of the basidiospores and secondary spores with growth of the 
mycelium of the five fungi studied shows that they correspond quite 
closely. The optimum for basidiospores extends over a little wider 
range of temperature than for the secondar}^ spores or mycelium. 
The maximum temperature for the germination of the basidiospores 
is somewhat higher, by a few degrees, than for the growth of the 
mycelium of all five fungi. The oidia of Lemites sepiaria and L. 
