190 Bailey.— Puccinia malvacearam and the Mycoplasm Theory. 
not placed under the globes until the radicle had begun to push through 
the seed-coat. Otherwise the method of sowing the seed was the same as 
in the first case. 
Sterilization was effected in 1 per cent, mercuric chloride for 8 minutes, 
and the seeds were subsequently washed in six changes of sterile tap-water 
before being left to germinate under sterile conditions. 
The seed was sown under the globes on November 3, 1913, and the 
house containing the plants was kept at a warm equable temperature 
throughout the winter. Ten globes were employed. Ten ‘pot-controls’ 
were also sown on the same date, sterilized soil and seed of the same kind 
being used. Unfortunately the germination of the seed was not tested in 
this case, with the result that seven of the pots had to be resown with 
germinated seed three weeks later. The seed and method of sterilization in 
this last case were the same as before. 
In addition to these ‘ pot-controls ’, a large quantity of hollyhock seed 
was sown in boxes to act as further controls. 
On October 17 a boxful of seed, collected by Mr. H. Festing Jones 
from hollyhocks growing on Monte St. Juliano in Sicily, was sown, and thg 
resulting plants will be referred to in the following pages as Sicilian 
hollyhocks. 
On November 3 three large seed boxes of each of the following were 
sown : 
‘ Althaea rosea , fl. pi.’ 
4 Althaea rosea, fl. pi. (Chater’s Superb).’ 
The former will be referred to as Double German , and the latter as 
Chater s in this account. 
It should be noted that in no case, in these ‘box-controls’, had the 
seed-producing parents been seen. The Sicilian seed was sown owing to 
the reputed immunity of these plants from the attacks of rust. The seed 
of the two pink varieties was imported from Germany and selected on 
Prof. Eriksson’s advice as being most likely to show the phenomena which 
he had described in his paper. 
The seed in boxes in all cases germinated well. 
Early in February 1914 and again in March the house was fumigated 
with nicotine without injurious effect to the foliage of any of the plants. 
On February 7 the benches, &c., were scrubbed down with formalin and 
water ; this latter operation caused the controls to exhibit slight 1 fumiga- 
tion injury’. 
Throughout the year the cotton plugs and rubber connexions frequently 
required changing. 
All plants grew on steadily during the winter and subsequent summer, 
and by the end of April 1914 the plants growing in boxes were cramped 
for lack of room. Twelve Sicilian plants were therefore potted up, as were 
