618 Howard.—On Trichosphaeria Sacchari , Massee, 
studded with black curly hair-like structures, from a quarter 
of an inch to two inches or more in length, which are formed 
under the rind and grow out into the air by rupturing the 
surface. These hair-like structures, on microscopic examina¬ 
tion, are found to be immense numbers of spores of the 
Me lanconium-stage of the ‘ Rind Fungus 5 loosely cemented 
together. Extensive cultures of these spores were made 
under widely different circumstances, the results of which 
are described below. 
Pure Petri-dish cultures of these spores, obtained from 
a diseased cane, were made in a food-material consisting 
of raisin-extract containing eleven per cent, of gelatine. The 
spores developed a white septate branched mycelium which 
covered the plates as a dense white glistening felt which, 
as the substratum became exhausted, gradually turned brown, 
and in fourteen days was found to have developed brown 
chlamydospores in the hyphae. The nature of these bodies 
was investigated later and will be described below. Nothing 
further of interest was observed in this series. 
On account of the high temperature of the laboratory, 
which in the middle of the day sometimes reaches 32°C, 
it was found that gelatine solutions containing at least fifteen 
per cent, of that substance are necessary for Petri-dish and 
hanging-drop cultures. When required for immediate use 
I find eighteen per cent, gelatine solutions are necessary ; 
when required in a few days’ time it is better to prepare the 
more dilute solution, viz. fifteen per cent., so as to allow 
for drying up. 
Pure plate-cultures were next prepared, using fifteen per 
cent, saccharose-gelatine containing Klebs’ solution : 
/ Potassium nitrate. 2 grams per litre. 
< Magnesium sulphate . . . . 1 „ „ 
\ Potassium phosphate . ... 2 „ „ 
In preparing this series some of the old mycelium, con¬ 
taining chlamydospores from the above cultures, well beaten 
up in sterile water, was used for infection. A dense white- 
felted mycelium was developed as before, in which well-marked 
