730 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXIV. No. 8 
produced, interspersed with a considerable number o£ subspherical, dark, 
superficial sclerotia, not unlike those produced under similar conditions 
by H. hromi and probably representing also in this instance, immature 
perithecia. It analogy is not entirely misleading, it would seem that 
search for an ascigerous condition of this fungus might perhaps not be 
without success. 
When cultivated on substrata containing little organic food material, 
as, for example, Beijerinck's agar, the fungus usually develops a variable 
number of sclerotia below the surface of the medium resembling the 
superficial ones described above, but occasionally departing from the 
subspherical type by growing into elongated, rather irregular bodies. 
(PI. 32, A.) Microscopically, the aerial growth is relatively scant, the 
loose mycelium being limited to a small quantity near the point of 
inoculation. The larger portion of the surface is peppered with discrete 
fructifications such as are represented on Plate 33, Aa, Bb, C, D. Although 
generally noticeably snialler, the conidia developed in culture resemble 
in essential details those found on the host in nature. The discrete 
conidial fructification is, in general, of the type exemplified in H, sativum, 
but a few marked differences frequently occur. After a spore has been 
proliferated, it frequently grows out into an apical prolongation (PI. 33, 
Ba, Bb, Da) having the same diameter as the sporophore and prolifer¬ 
ating spores in the same way (PI. 33, Baa, Bba, Daa-ab). Or, without 
any special modification it (PI. 33, Dc) may produce a secondary spore 
by apical proliferation (PI. 33, Dca). The sporophore occasionally also, 
shows an aberrant tendency by continuing apical growth not in the 
usual manner, but by a process of budding exactly similar to that occur¬ 
ring in the production of a conidium. (PI. 33, Ab-Abc.) In such cases 
the distal part of the sporophore is similarly marked at the base by a 
conspicuous hilum. Obviously the fungus shares in some measure the 
Alternaria-like habit and tendency toward the obliteration of spore and 
sporophore manifested in H, catenarium, 
A compound type of fructification also is produced by the fungus. 
In tube cultures of Beijerinck’s agar, these occur in the form of erect, 
stiff, thread-like black structures, measuring from 0.3 to' 0.5 mm. in 
diameter and arising usually from a slightly expanded base in the center 
of the loose aerial mycelium. (PI. 32, A B.) The lower portion for a 
distance of about i mm. usually is sterile. (PI. 32, Bd.) Above this 
sterile portion the fructification bristles with a dense array of sporophores 
resembling the discrete conidiophores and bearing similar spores. (PI. 
32, Be.) The axial column is hard in texture and when broken and 
examined microscopically appears to be composed of dense white pseudo¬ 
parenchyma of which the surface layer is largely quite black but inter¬ 
spersed with numerous small lighter areas. Except at the abruptly 
truncated tip (PI. 32, Ba) where further growth of the fructification 
occurs and where new sporophores (PI. 32, Bb) are constantly being 
proliferated, it is impossible to recognize the hypal origin of the axial- 
column. These fructifications, which appear moreover to show some 
similarity to the sclerotia produced by the fungus, have been seen to 
attain a length exceeding i cm. and undoubtedly could be grown much 
larger. 
