552 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXIV, No. 4 
Again and again in the literature is noted the fact that for color pro¬ 
duction agar with glucose is the medium to use. Our results showed 
that the cultmes grown on potato glucose agar did develop color, but 
not much more so than did those on oat agar. The color on the glucose 
agar in some cases was deeper than on the oat. For instance, notes taken 
at practically the same age on both media give for the color of group A 
(a Discolor group) on potato glucose ‘‘vinaceous cinnamon to orange 
cinnamon'* and on oat it is “salmon buff to salmon color.” For group C 
(a Discolor group) it reads “ Bordeaux” on the glucose and “ spinel pink” 
on the oat. However, the deepness of color is not constant throughout 
for special notes on culture No. i6 give “seashell pink” as the color on 
glucose and ” ciimamon” as the color on oat. Our results would indicate 
that the two media are about equal in color production value and the 
amount of growth is practically the same, being abundant on both. 
Effect ON microscopic Characters. —^No striking difference micro¬ 
scopically was noted between spores grown on lima bean, potato glucose, 
or oat agars (PI. i, A and B; 2, C). We found that the series of oat cultures 
kept in the refrigerator was in the best condition for spore study of all 
with which we worked, but it seems probable that this was due to the 
temperature rather than the culture medium, as the other oat series was 
about equal to the lima bean. 
The few refractory cultures that were grown on tomato stems led us 
to believe that that medium might prove to be very good. At least it 
would be worth while to try it out further. 
Appel and Wollenweber (2) concluded from their work that agar media 
were by no means so sure of producing normal conidia as the tubers, 
and the stems were found to be the most satisfactory of all. Wilcox, 
Link, and Pool {20) state that cultures grown on gelatin and agar media 
are not normal and can not be used in the determination of characters. 
Our results do not support these conclusions, but they confirm a state¬ 
ment made by Sherbakoff {18 ): 
An agar, especially such a one as oat hard agar, often gives all the forms of fructifi¬ 
cation for these fungi, with “normal** spores and more or less typical and brilliant 
color production. 
It might be well to add here a footnote given by Sherbakoff {18) in expla¬ 
nation of the variance between his results and those of Appel and 
Wollenweber (2): 
This observation is apparently in some contradiction to the observations of Appel 
and Wollenweber (1910:12-13), but indeed it is not so; because, judging by the “^ti- 
ficial** media actually used by them, their observations of unfitness of such media 
for study of “normal** growth of the Fusaria was based on ‘‘soft*’ agars too rich in 
sugar. The writer also found that such agars produced abnormal growth. 
We found that oat agar more than any other medium used -combined 
the qualities necessary to produce good cultural characters such as 
growth and color and normal spores. 
EFFECT OF UGHT 
So little comparative work was done upon the effect of light on growth 
and color that our results are of rather limited value. The effect of light 
on Fusarium has never been thoroughly studied. Our conclusions and 
those of a few other investigators are included below. 
Using lima bean agar for a medium, we found practically no difference 
in the amount of growth or the amount of color produced in cultures 
