345 
Marshall Ward . — On a lily-disease. 
of attachment, and, as already stated, some of the methyl- 
violet preparations of cultures with bulb-sections show the 
starch-grains deeply stained violet. 
I have also obtained very beautiful results by thus hardening 
and staining whole buds of the lily in various stages of disease, 
and it may be remarked that this method of hardening and 
staining, especially with methyl-violet, affords a very easy test 
for the presence of fungus-hyphae or -spores on the epidermis 
of a leaf ; and any one who is ignorant of the prevalence of 
fungi on leaves of all kinds during such a summer as the past 
one, may easily convince himself by laying the decolourised and 
hardened leaf in methyl- violet, and then examining the 
outside of the epidermis — the hyphae stand out sharp and 
clear on the colourless background. I have used this method 
with great success in infections, picking out spores and ger- 
minal hyphae with startling clearness : the method was also 
of the greatest use in preparing sections of the diseased tissues, 
such as those shown in Figs. 6, 7, 55, 56 , etc. 
Another very satisfactory method is to place the hardened 
and stained mycelium, attached to its cover-slip, in absolute 
alcohol which is floating on a layer of pure glycerine. In the 
course of a few days, the preparation with its cover-slip sinks 
into the glycerine, and may be removed and mounted in 
glycerine-jelly, the superabundant glycerine being gently 
washed off after the glycerine-jelly is thoroughly hardened. 
I also possess some very delicate preparations mounted in 
glycerine only. 
In preparing some of these mycelia, and especially when 
placing pieces of large cultures — mycelia 3-4 inches in 
diameter, and obtained in a manner to be described below — 
directly into absolute alcohol, it was usually noticeable that a 
white, apparently crystalline deposit fell to the bottom of the 
watch-glass or other vessel. I had the strongest reasons for be- 
lieving that this precipitate carried down with it the ferment 
referred to so often, though I had not as yet obtained the precipi- 
tate in sufficient quantities to make positive statements concern- 
ing the white powder itself. Of this more will be said presently. 
A a 
