684 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXIV, No. 8 
The description applies moderately well to a fungus found occurring 
in abundance on dead leaves of sweet vernal grass collected near Wash¬ 
ington, D. C., June 20, 1920, and at various times throughout July, 1920, 
near Port Washington, N. Y. On the inflorescence, the fungus, it is 
true, also was present, but in much smaller amounts than on the foliage. 
It was also found on withered foliage of Agrostis albah. ( = A. palustris 
Huds.) and Agrostis perennans (Walt.) Tuckerm., collected during July 
and August, 1920, near Brooklyn, N. Y., and Norwalk, Conn., not infre¬ 
quently on the same leaves that bore also fructifications of one or another 
of the two apparently undescribed larger-spored species of Helmintho- 
sporium occurring on these grasses. As the presence of the fungus was 
in no case associated with local discoloration of the foliar tissue that 
served as substratum, it was not possible to determine definitely its rela¬ 
tionship as a saprophyte or possible parasite. It may be said, however, 
that the organism, although fairly common on the different species of 
Agrostis mentioned, was not present in sufficient quantity to justify the 
belief that it was the main cause of the premature withering, abundantly 
observed during the season of 1920. On the other hand, tiie manner of 
its occurrence on Anthoxanthum odor alum is not such as to exclude the 
possibility of a parasitic relation. For in some collections every leaf 
appears to bear fructifications of the fungus, sometimes, indeed, in great 
abundance and not infrequently to the approximate exclusion of other 
fungi. Owing to the small size of the leaves of sweet vernal grass, and 
the consequent difficulty in recognizing possibly pathological withering 
from the withering normally taking place during the later stages in the 
life of the plant, the presence or absence of a parasitic relation could be 
established perhaps only by well controlled infection experiments. 
The principal circumstance.that might suggest a possible lack of iden¬ 
tity of the European and American forms, is the recorded occurrence of 
the former only on the inflorescence of Anthoxanthum odor alum, while 
the latter, although not absent from the inflorescence, is certainly much 
more abundant on the foliage. As sweet vernal grass is an early maturing 
species and as the material from which the description of the Galician 
fungus was drawn appears to have been collected in October, it is not 
improbable that the leaves of the plant were rather poorly represented 
in the type specimens if, indeed, not altogether missing. Thus the 
American fungus may at least provisionally be referred to Helmintho- 
sporium dematioideum, although a few remarks concerning its mor¬ 
phology may not be out of place, especially in view of the brevity of the 
diagnosis given by Bubak and Wrdblewski. 
The sporophores (PI. 14, Da-c), as indicated in the original description 
by these authors, measure only 5 to 6 iu in width and, compared to most 
graminicolous congeneric species, are generally decidedly short, although 
not infrequently exceeding 60 in length (PI. 14, Db, c), and even in 
some instances measuring tihiree times as much (PI. 14, Da). They usually 
are found singly or in pairs, rarely in larger groups; are septate usually 
at intervals of 10 to 25 ju; and often can be collected bearing 6 to 8 
spores in situ, (PI. 14, Db.) The spores (PI. 14, Ba-h) are distinctly 
yellowish when fully mature, from 2 to 6 times septate, and measure 8.5 
to 14 by 18 to 48 At, although the range in septation and in dimensions 
given by Bubdk and Wrdblewski may be regarded as typical. In shape 
they are generally subcylindrical or tapering perceptibly toward the base. 
The proximal septum is frequently, but not constantly, associated with a 
