122 
the new conditions provided by the immune varieties and 5 
break down their mode of defence. Many say that the old 
varieties of the potato are far more susceptible to the attacks of 
Phytophthora than the newer ones, the impression being general 
that varieties wear out. I have tried in vain to satisfy myself 
that this is the case and I am beginning to question whether it is 
true. Certainly many of the newer varieties of this plant are as 
susceptible as the older ones, a fact which though not conclusive 
in itself does not fit well with the conception that the new form 
is necessarily superior in disease resistance to the older, Be 
this as it may the attempt to raise immune types of our com 
moner crops is one which is well worth the making. 
NOTE ON SPHAEROPSIS PINASTRI SACC, 
By Annie Lorrain Smith, F.L.S. 
Sphaeropsis Pinastri Sacc. 
A fungus on pine leaves which was described by Léveillé in 
Ann. Sci. Nat. 1846, p. 282, as Phoma Pinastri has since been 
placed by Saccardo (Syll. II, p. 300) in the genus Sphaeropsis 
on account of the brown simple spores. Léveillé in his original 
description says: ‘Les spores sont grosses, ovales, allongées, 
Opaques, sans cloisons avec lapparence d'une sporidiole globul- 
euse a leur interieur.” Saccardo incorporates this description 
but adds the size of the spores as 10x 6-7, which indicates 
rather a small spore for this genus. 
Another species, S. /7lzszz Sacc, recorded from America on 
corticated branches of Pinus szlvestris has also large spores 
measuring 30x 12 or 35-40x 15p, which correspond evidently 
with the “spores grosses ovales” of Léveillé’s Phoma pinasiri. 
In the recently published volume of Rabenhorst’s Fungi Imper- 
fecti, Allescher has included both species under S. £/Zisiz with a 
var. Adzetzs, which grows on the cone scales of Adbzes pectinata. 
He gives the same spore measurements as for the American 
species. During the fungus foray at Haslemere a specimen was 
collected in Woolmer Forest on pine needles, the spores of 
which are large, oval and brown, and measure up to 40x I5p. 
It corresponds with Phoma pinastri as understood by Léeveille 
and the name Sphaeropsis pinastri should have been retained 
rather than S. El/zs7z. The epidermis of the leaf was split by 
the fungus. Léveillé says of his species that the epidermis was 
torn in a star-shaped manner, but that difference is certainly not 
specific. 
Sphaeropsis pinastri (Lév.) has been already recorded as a 
British species growing on leaves and cones of Pinus sylvestris 
at Eastbourne. 
