268 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



growth. lie refers the origin of the fungus growth upon fish 

 and their eggs to the sporules which are continually floating 

 in the air, and which only require a favorable nesting-place 

 for their development; and he makes an important practical 

 suggestion in the interest of fish culture, especially that of 

 trout and salmon. He advises very earnestly that the water 

 used for hatching eggs and raising young fish be derived, as 

 far as possible, from springs, and at or near their source, and 

 even urges the transportation of such water for a long dis- 

 tance in closed pipes, for the purpose of securing that which 

 will be measurably free from the danger mentioned. In this 

 way he thinks there is much less danger of having the fungus 

 spores fall into the water, and producing disease. He him- 

 self found, after adopting this plan at the fish-breeding es- 

 tablishment in Tharandt, that for the first time the operations 

 were not interfered with by the death of a large percentage 

 of eggs and new-hatched fish from this disease, while for the 

 twelve previous years a large number were annually lost. 

 A loss of not over fifteen per cent, of the eggs is considered 

 quite favorable, since sometimes fifty per cent, or more die, 

 in spite of the utmost precaution. 



DIFFERENCE OF BACTERIA FROM FUNGI. 



Some researches by Dr. Sanderson upon the intimate pa- 

 thology of contagion have led him to very careful investiga- 

 tions into the conditions under which micrOzymes (bacteria) 

 and fungi become developed in various solutions. The re- 

 sults at which he arrives are of great importance. Micro- 

 zymes are not capable of being transmitted from one solution 

 to another by means of air. On the other hand, fungi, as is 

 well known, are capable of being so transmitted. If proper 

 precautions in its preparation be taken, a solution (Pasteur's, 

 e. g.) may be exposed to the air for months in an open vessel 

 without the development in it of a single bacterium, while 

 fungi (i. e., Mycelium torula) will be developed in it in pro- 

 portion to its amount of exposure to the air. In order to in- 

 sure this result, all that is necessary is to boil the solution, 

 and thoroughly rinse with boiling water the vessel that is to 

 contain it. 



The addition of a drop of ordinary distilled water is suffi- 

 cient to cause rapid development of bacteria in abundance in 



