Dec. 1902] Notes from Mycological Literature 
201 
Torrendia, a new genus of Hymenogastraceae, and 
twelve new species of the higher fungi are described by I. Bres- 
adola (Mycetes Lusitanici Novi), Atti I. R. Acad. Agiati, II, 
8 1129-133. 1 pi. 1902. 
A bulletin of 43 pages, 3 plates, author Margaret C. Fer¬ 
guson, containing a preliminary Study of the Germinatoin of 
Agarious compestris and other Basidiomycetous Fungi, was is¬ 
sued June 14, 1902, by the Bureau of Plant Industry, U. S. Dept. 
Agr. Besides the record and explanation of the tests, there is 
given also a Historical Review of the literature, 1842 to 1901, 
(6 pages) and a Bibliography (2 pages). 
Hermann von Schrenk is the author of Bulletin No. 
14, Bureau of Plant Industry, issued March 25, 1902, entitled 
the Decay of Timber and Methods of preventing it. It contains 
96 pages, 18 plates and numerous text figures. The scope of the 
Report is as follows: (1) Structure of Timber and its mechan¬ 
ical and chemical nature; (2) Factors which cause decay of wood; 
(3) Timber preservation; (4) Account of an experiment to test 
the value of preservative processes; (5) Report of an inspection 
trip to Europe for the purpose of investigating the results of tim¬ 
ber impregnation; (6) Conclusions and recommendations. 
The Office of ti-ie Pathologist and Physiologist, 
Bureau of Plant Industry, offers to the State Agricultural Exper¬ 
iment Stations and other interested workers such specimens of 
fungi as they may select from a list which has been prepared 
by Flora W. Patterson, Mycologist, and sent out February 3, 1902 
(Bulletin No. 8). The general arrangement and the nomen¬ 
clature correspond mainly with Saccardo’s Sylloge Fungorum. 
The list contains 543 species, often several hosts being given. 
Generic Nomenclature is discussed by C. L. Shear in 
the March number of the Botanical Gazette (33:220-9, 1902), 
the remarks relating especially to Fungi. His apology if any 
were needed is as follows: “but there is no student of plant life 
in any of its multitudinous phases but must have occasion at some 
time to use plant names, and hence should be interested to 
some degree, at least, in any sincere effort to secure stability 
and uniformity in nomenclature/' Mr. Shear points out the 
fatal difficulties of the “species majority method,” and the “residue 
method.” The type method is urged as desirable and practicable. 
Professor Underwood gives a general account of the 
Bracket Fungi in the June No. of Torreya (2:87-90, 1902), men¬ 
tioning about two dozen species and incidentally remarking that 
a certain species “has passed as Polyporus lucidus, which is a 
wholly different species,” and that P. leucophaeus “has mas¬ 
queraded in this country under an incorrect name as P. 
applanatus.” 
