7 I 4 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. V, No. 16 
is proposed. The name of the fungus becomes, under this arrangement, 
Plenodomus fuscomaculans (Sacc.), n. comb. 1 
The present paper deals wholly with the physiological phase of my 
investigations, the phytopathological studies being reserved for another 
paper. 2 
The problem consisted of the investigation of the relations of the or¬ 
ganism to the environment and the fitting of the environment to the 
organism—a marked reversal of the common practices in culture making. 
HISTORICAL REVIEW 
The history of the cultivation of micro-organisms is linked with the 
history of bacteriology and mycology. Progress in these sciences has 
been largely due to the clarifying effect of pure-culture methods. These 
originated with the discovery of the method by which media could be 
sterilized. It is a significant fact, and one which can be traced to the 
influence of these early experiments, that the solutions and materials 
used in the first crude cultures were the highly concentrated vegetable 
and animal decoctions and infusions which experience had shown to be 
highly liable to putrefaction. Mycology made great advance when, 
utilizing the newly discovered methods of isolation, the various groups of 
organisms were brought into pure culture by such masters as B ref eld, 
De Bary, Hansen, and Zopf. The earlier methods are in vogue to-day 
in the great bulk of mycological or applied work. In the cultural work 
of these pioneer studies nutrition was the only factor to which consistent 
attention was given. 
The influence of other factors than nutrition was recognized early, but 
the methods of culture were varied but little to fit these conditions. 
Pasteur (i86i) s showed the difference between aerobiosis and anaero- 
biosis, but this distinction long remained obscured by the problems of 
fermentation. The oxygen relations of fungi have been neglected in the 
ordinary cultural technique, since most fungi tolerate the conditions of 
the plugged flask or test tube. The sharp temperature requirements of 
some animal pathogens focused attention upon this factor very early, 
and accordingly incubators and devices to furnish constant temperature 
were developed. But there has been wide neglect of this factor. That 
bacteria grow best in a medium slightly alkaline to litmus and fungi in a 
medium slightly acid and that this difference can be used to advantage 
in isolation early became dicta of the sciences. The growth of organisms 
takes place within such wide limits in composition of culture media and 
1 A. discussion of the morphology of this fungus was prepared for the 1915 Report of the Michigan Academy 
of Science. Delay in publishing this report makes it necessary to give the proposed change in nomencla¬ 
ture in this connection, with only a summary of the reasons for making the change. The latter publication 
may be looked to for a more complete account of the morphology of the fungus. 
2 The physiological work was suggested by Dr. C. H. Kauffman, of the University of Michigan, and has 
been done under his direction. I am also indebted to Dr. E. A. Bessey, of the Michigan Agricultural Col¬ 
lege, for advice and help throughout the investigation. 
8 Bibliographic citations in parentheses refer to “Literature cited,” p. 766-769. 
