32 
HOLTERMANN : FUNGUS CULTURES 
impossible to find any distinction in this respect between 
Colombo and Nuwara Eliya, although the mean temperature 
in the former was 27° C., in the latter only 15° C., and the 
experiments were carried on in both places with the same 
species (Schizostega, Dacryomycetes, and Mucorineæ). 
As has just been pointed out, many fungi can never be 
germinated in the usual nutrient solutions. To my great 
disappointment this was also partially the case with Hemi- 
leia vastatrix, a fungus which has, as is well known, caused 
immeasurable damage to coffee trees ; it has almost totally 
destroyed the cultivation of coffee in Ceylon and other 
colonies by injuring the leaves. I take this opportunity of 
describing my cultivation experiments in the hope that 
others may carry them further. The yellowish spores occur 
in great numbers on the under sides of the leaves. Their 
detailed description is already sufficiently well known. 
The outer coat of the spore is covered with small papillæ, 
between which, as a rule, small particles of dust adhere to 
the spore, so that it is in consequence a matter of great 
difficulty to obtain pure spore material ; but success may be 
attained by causing the spores to fall into a drop of a 
mixture of water and alcohol by giving a gentle fillip to the 
leaf. The solution should contain only about 6-8 per cent, 
of alcohol, and must be made with sterilized water. It 
frequently happened that even in this very weak solution of 
alcohol young spores completely lost their capacity for ger- 
mination. It is necessary to work with great care to prevent 
the influence of the solution from being too intense. 
The first stages of germination showed themselves in my 
experiments after a couple of hours, one or two hyphæ 
appearing. These grew longer and longer, and finally grew 
upwards out of the solution into the air. Great masses of 
hyphæ appeared there, proportional to the number of spores 
sown. In other cases these remained upon the solution, 
and there showed much branching. It is of special interest 
to note that the hyphce never showed any transverse walls. 
