Slack, on a Ferment found in Red French Wine. 37 



by an elongated pointed cell. These, in tlieir largest trans- 

 verse diameter, measured about 1-7000", and about double 

 that length. The cells all contained minute dots of whitish 

 matter. 



Some of the cells, taken up on a knife, Avere placed in a 

 solution of moist sugar. In a" few days a smell of butyric 

 acid became very noticeable. This increased so as to be ex- 

 ceedingly powerful, and mingled with it a nauseous scent of 

 other and unknown substances was observed. A portion of 

 the sugar was transformed into a slimy, ropy mass. Micro- 

 scopic examination of the fluid and of the ropy mass dis- 

 closed only a fcAv cells of minute size, and no bacterium 

 bodies, like those described by M. Pasteur, which are some- 

 times associated with the butyric fermentation. If any such 

 bodies were present, they Avere certainly not in quantities 

 proportioned to the A'igour with which the butyric fermenta- 

 tion Avent on ; and that fermentation seemed rather to be a 

 purely chemical action, excited, perhaps, by the decomposi- 

 tion of some of the cells, than an action correlative Avith the 

 groAvth of any organisms. 



While this process was going on, an open tumbler, con- 

 taining the Avine and cells, Avas standing in the same place, 

 and soon exhibited patches of mould, which in due time be- 

 came continuous, and Avere covered Avith myriads of Peni- 

 cilium glaucum spores. 



The Avine left in the bottle — rather more than half full 

 and corked — did not turn noticeably sour, and no mould ap- 

 peared upon its surface. A little of this wine Avas mixed 

 with a solution of treacle, in a Avide-mouthed bottle, placed 

 on a Avarm shelf in a greenhouse, and covered over Avith a 

 garden-pot to keep out the light. A thick crop of blue 

 mould soon appeared, covering up the surface, but at the 

 end of three Aveeks the fluid Avas only slightly acid, as mani- 

 fested by a feeble action on litmus paper. 



The non-formation of butyric acid in this case, and the 

 formation of that substance in the previous experiment, 

 would seem to be accounted for by difference in the nutri- 

 ment supplied to the cells, and in the temperature to Avhich 

 they were exposed When the butyric acid Avas formed, no 

 blue mould appeared; and AAhen the blue mould Avas deve- 

 loped, no butyric acid could be detected. It is obvious that 

 the experiments are far from sufficient to explain the nature 

 of the different actions and results, but they serve to indicate 

 a useful direction for research. 



In a fcAv Aveeks, the contents of the bottle in Avhich the 

 butyric acid was developed underwent a spontaneous change. 



