By l;. GREIG-SMITH. 79 



and 5. Piiase A'2 with levulose showed -{-3° to methyl-red and -j-9-5° to phen- 

 ( Iphthalcin, while B2 with dextrose showed -(-11° and -}-14.5° respectively. 

 Thus there was an ap]>roximate increase in the acidity during the seven days' incu- 

 bation of -|-5° with levulose and -j-12° with dextrose. It is possible that the 

 greater development of ropiness with levulose may be traced to the lesser produc- 

 tion of acid favouring the stal)ility of the cohesive phases of tlie bacteria. 



Phase Al, in the tirst experiment, showed no ropines.s in any of tlie tests luilil 

 the 10th day, when that with succinate was ropy, and contained a mixture of 

 jihases Al and A2a. In the second exiK'riment, the tests were negative until llie 

 5th day, when the phosphate gave a positive result. On the 13th day, the phos- 

 phate contained A2 with a few transition forms of Al . On the same day the 

 potassium sulphate and sodium chloride tests contained the phase Al with a few 

 ivansition forms. On the 19th day, the ropiness had disappeared in the phos-' 

 l>halc test, and the medium contained A2, 2.5 %, Al, 5 % and transition forms 70 

 % . In this case the pliosphate ajiparently altered the phase to A2, which pro- 

 duced the ropy substance and, as the i)r(jportion of A2 decreased, the ropy sub- 

 stance dissolved. Al has been omitted from the table. 



Phase A2 produced ropiness witli all the salts as well as in tlie control. It 

 wa-s api)areiitly too active to reijuire any assistance from the saline constituents. 

 On the 1 2th day, the tests containing the salts of lime were gelatinous as well 

 as ropy, and the media flowed like a soft jelly. In the second experiment, ])ha.se 

 A2a was used, and all the tests were ropy on the 2nd day, and the ropiness 

 persisted to the end of the experiment on the 19tli day. Thus A2a duplicated 

 A2. 



Phase H2 with dextrose gave a slight ro])incss on the first day with tartrate 

 and succinate, but it liad vanished by the Si'd day. Then all tests were negative 

 until the 12th day, when the citrate test became ropy. In the second experi- 

 ment no ropiness was obtained with any of the salts. 



Phase B2 with levulose gave more favourable results, but there was a derided 

 (iitt'erence lietween the two experiments. Tlint made on the later date gave a 

 greater ara<iunt of ropiness which the control test seemed to indicate as being 

 due to n more active condition of the infecting organism. 



On the whole the saline tests, and especially those in the last two experi- 

 ments, seem to indicate that given a suitable source of carbon and an active 

 bacterium, tlie salts employed in the tests have little influence in ))i-oducing 

 lopiness. When the bacterium is not active, the salt may alter the jihase, and 

 thus assist in the ]iroduction of a ropy lif(uid . 



Acetates mnl Nitrates ('lii'rk /I'ojjmesx. 



The saline tests showed that nitrates and acetates prevented the development 

 of ropiness in artificial media, and naturally this led to testing the influence of 

 the acetate in hark infusions to see if the same jirohibition occurred. 



One part of bark was added to two ])arts of water and varying amounts 

 of sodium acetate were added to the portions lief'ore seeding- with B2. Ropiness 

 develo])ed in the control, but not in the jiortion containing 0.03 %, i.e., 3 parts 

 per 10,000. 



Another test was made with bark and water containing 0.02 '^/r of acetate, 

 iiortions being seeiled with ))iiases Al. A2 and P>2 . The controls became ropy. 



