750 
Journal of Agricultural Research voi. xxiii, no 9 
of the epidermis above, and marginal growth contributes to the final 
enlargement of the cavity. We see, then, that the cavity in Sclerotiopsis 
concava is about equally lysigenetic and schizogenetic, and in this respect 
represents a type intermediate between Phyllostidina carpogena , noted 
previously, and Schizoparme straminea , which will now be considered. 
SCHIZOPARME STRAMINEA, A NEW STRAWBERRY DISEASE 
Pycnidia of a fungus heretofore unreported on strawberry have been 
found on this fruit from Norfolk, Va., and in the markets of New York 
and Washington each spring since 1918. The fungus is not abundant, 
and it does not cause a destructive rot of the berry. The pycnidia are 
thickly scattered over the surface bursting through the epidermis at the 
time the spores are mature (PI. 5, A). The fungus is distinguished from 
others on the strawberry by the crown of light-colored tissue which sur¬ 
mounts the pycnidium and surrounds the ostiole. The same species also 
occurs on dead leaves of strawberry and several other plants. In July, 
1920, perithecia were found on strawberry leaves along with these 
pycnidia, and the connection between the two forms was proved by 
growth in pure cultures. Pycnidia and perithecia are illustrated in 
Plates 4, 5 and 6. A formal description of the fungus is to be published 
by Doctor Shear in an early number of Mycologia. 
CULTURE STUDIES 
The unicellular pycnospores germinate with one or two germ tubes 
without showing septation previous to or during germination. On corn- 
meal or potato agar in Petri dishes the mycelium grows outward unevenly, 
so that the margin is much scalloped or lobed, (PI. 5, B). Pycnidia are 
formed in concentric circles, the first maturing five or six days after 
inoculation. They are at first colorless and are surrounded by a loose 
weft of hyphae. Sclerosis begins at the base of the ostiole and spreads 
around the wall along the outer layer of cells, so that the pycnidium 
finally becomes nearly black. - 
Artificial infection of strawberries has been made to obtain material 
for study. The fungus is able to maintain possession except when 
species of Rhizopus gain entrance at an early stage. 
In Petri-dish cultures there is a tendency toward the grouping of 
pycnidia, with an especially large one at the center (PI. 5, D). They 
are held together by the tissue which crowns each one and which now 
viewed from above resembles a thin stroma; the fruit bodies are always 
separate in nature. 
The ascospores are small and hyaline and thus are not readily located 
in poured plates, so that the following method was used to obtain pure 
cultures. Single ascocarps were crushed out in a drop of water on steril¬ 
ized slides. The asci still containing spores float out in the water. 
Small drops of this water were transferred to a 4 per cent corn-meal agar 
in Petri dishes at marked places. As the drop spread out and was 
absorbed, single asci were located. The spores germinated in the ascus 
in a few hours, so that by transferring the entire ascus after germination 
one was able, very easily, to obtain large numbers of pure ascospore 
cultures. Over 100 single ascus cultures in test tubes and Petri dishes 
were made in this way, and in every case characteristic pycnidia were 
