344 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXIV, No. 4 
ftatt in studying the relation between soil fungi and diseases 
of the Irish potato in southern Idaho, isolated among many other fungi 
14 species of Fus^um. Five of the strains isolated “appar^tly dif¬ 
fered from all species heretofore described,'" and Pratt, therefore, named 
giving in this publication the original descriptions, which include 
habitat, cultmal characteristics, spore shape, septations, and size. Sep- 
tations and size are given of spores grown on various media for different 
ages. 
The new species described are: Section Gibbosum, Fusarium lance- 
olatum; Section Elegans, F, elegantum and F, Idahoanum; Section Dis¬ 
color, F, aridum and F. nigrum. 
The other nine species were identified, but in only one case, that 
where Pratt's culture showed some differences from the ‘‘authentic cul¬ 
ture" which he used for comparison, are there any taxonomic notes. 
Bisby (j) in his studies on Fusarium diseases in Minnesota notes that 
Fusarium oxysporum and F. discolor var. sulphureum are of large eco¬ 
nomic importance in Minnesota. His results with certain temperatures 
and media in studying these diseases are of interest to use, but other¬ 
wise the bulletin is strictly economic in its outlook. 
Edson and Shapovalov (5) made a careful study of the relations of 
growth of certain species of Fusarium to temperature. The species 
they used in the studies were: Fusarium discolory var. sulphureum 
(Schlect) Ap. and Wollenw., F. eumartii Carp., F. oxysporum Schlect, 
F. radicicola Wollenw., F. trichothecioides Wollenw. 
Two species of Verticillium were also used. For each of these species 
they made nine plate cultures and incubated them at nine different 
temperatures from 1° C. up to 40° C. at 5° intervals, taking readings of 
the size of the colony at the end of each 24 hours. The results, aside 
from aiding in control determinations, proved to the authors that tem¬ 
perature tests in certain cases may serve as a useful supplementary 
method for the identification of fungi exhibiting contrasting thermal 
relations. 
THIS GKNUS FUSARIUM UNK. 
The genus Fusarium is classified according to Engler and Prantl 
Naturliche Pflanzenfamilien (6) as belonging to the section Mucediacae 
Pharagmosporae of the family Tuberculariaceae of the order Hypho- 
mycetes of that heterogenous class known as the Fungi Imperfecti. It 
is, consequently, a form genus, and already the ascigerous stage of a 
number of its species has been found. A few of these are N^c^na solani 
(Ren. and Bert), which has been reported as the ascigerous stage of 
Fusarium solani; Nectria graminicola B and N., as the ascigerous stage 
of F. nivale; and Gibberella saubinetii (Durieu and Mont.) Sacc. to 
which species F. tulmorumy F. avenaceumy F. hordeiy and F. heterosporum 
have all been referred. It seems very probable that more and more 
species of this genus will be connected with genera of the Ascomycetes, 
though as Wollenweber states (21 )— 
We are still far from having conclusive proof of the widely recognized theory that 
Fusarium is the obligate coni dial stage of Ascomycetes. 
The genus Fusarium was described in 1809 by Link (j^), together with 
the allied genera Fusidium, Fusisporium, and Atractium. Later Link 
dropped one or the other or combined them in various ways. Schlecten- 
dahl, Corda, Fries, and Saccardo worked on this group of organisms and 
