66 



MICROSCOPIC HISTORY OF THE VINEGAR-PLANT. 



when left in a dry place, it speedily becomes covered with a forest of luxuriant 

 green mould, which might ingeniously be supposed to be the spore stalks, 

 which, when in the jBuid, had no opportunity of developing themselves, rushing 

 into existence in the new element. Whether the green mould was really a 

 portion of, or a parasite on, the Vinegar-plant, is a problem to solve. 



The plant in question is a gelatinous body somewhat resembling leather 

 which has been long steeped in water* is tovigh, and in the progress of growth 

 divides into layers by a transverse separation. The length of time required 

 to change syrup into vinegar by its agency varies from five to six, or even 

 eight, weeks. Professor Balfour found that when the syrup was prepared 

 from white sugar, the tima required was nearly twice as long as when a mixture 

 of nearly equal quantities of raw sugar and molasses was employed; the same 

 fact has come under my own observation, clearly proving that the grape sugar 

 in the latter case accelerated the acetous fermentation. He also proved the 

 identity of the mass with ordinary moulds, by placing particles obtained from 

 dry bodies into the fluid, which in the course of time produced vinegar, at 

 the same time being developed into the gelatinous mass described. The same 

 experiment was repeated with like success by myself. 



The absence of properly developed spores is the chief obstacle to the 

 determination of the species, and moreover aflfords a proof that the plant is 

 not in its proper element. On submitting a portion of the mass to the 

 microscope, a quantity of entangled cellular tissue is discovered formed by the 

 union and agglutination of the mycelium of the myriads of minute plants 

 which make up the whole, and corresponding with the tissue known as 

 dadaelenchyma. Rounded cells resembling spores were also observed, sometimes 

 occurring singly, but generally in clusters as represented in Fig. 1. On ex- 

 pressing a small quantity of the fluid the same spore-like bodies were found 



1. 2. 



in it; Fig. 2. In the sediment thrown down after fermentation, these spores, 

 perfect or abortive, were also found, but in this case they were free from 

 each other; Fig. 3. -Besides' these forms, another more marked was discovered, 

 which, to my mind, assumed the appearance of a portion of perfect fructifi- 

 cation. On separating the two layers which constituted one of the thin 



