76 



HISTORY AND CAUSE OF THE COCONUT BUD-ROT. 



Table XI. — Amount of gas (in myn.) produced by various cultures in 1 per cent peptone 

 plus 1 per cent glycerin at 37° C, June 18-27, 1910. 



\ 



1 No gas; barely clouded in closed end. 



2 No gas: thinly clouded in closed end. 



3 Moderately clouded in closed end. 



4 About as before. 



6 Two large bubbles of { 



6 Clear in both ends. 



GROUP NUMBER OF THE COCONUT ORGANISM. 



It has been found in some of the preceding experiments that the 

 six coconut cultures were neitlier constant nor identical in their reac- 

 tion in every medium. In the case of liquefaction of gelatin, Xo. 1 

 liquefied the gelatin after several weeks, the others not even after 

 six months. In dextrose medium all produced gas; No. 1 more than 

 the others. In lactose medium all produced gas sometimes, but not 

 always. In media containing saccharose as the only carbohydrate 

 all the cultures produced gas at one time or another. In nitrate 

 bouillon all the cultures reduced the nitrates to nitrites. As to color 

 of the colonies, all may be considered nonchromogenic. As to growth 

 on starch media, the coconut organisms have been definitely proved 

 to have a variable effect on the starch, sometimes converting it rapidly 

 into amylodextrin but more frequently feebly or not at all. In 

 glycerin media the production of gas occurred only in Nos, 2 and 5. 

 Doubtless the other strams might also produce gas if grovm under the 

 ridit conditions. It seems more reasonable to believe this than not 

 for this reason: Nos. 2 and 5 are cultures isolated from two different 

 coconut seedlings which were inoculated with Nos. 1 and 4, respec- 

 tively, and 1 and 4 have here behaved alike. Moreover, Nos. 2 and 

 5, after being isolated, were reinoculated into two different coconut 

 seedlings and from them were derived cultures Nos. 3 and 6, respec- 

 tively, these being identical in this case with Nos. 1 and 4. That in 

 such a set of experiments Nos. 3 and 5 are different species or varie- 

 ties is an idea scarcely conceivable. Granted that this organism, 

 represented by the six strains is capable of producing gas in glycerin 

 media, it then appears that for this organism the following formula 

 according to the chart of the Society of American Bacteriologists 

 must be used: 222.1111021. The identity of this formula with that 

 of Bacillus coli is at once apparent. Under these circumstances many 

 more biological features of the coconut organism must be ascertained 

 in order to distinguish it from or to identify it with the colon organ- 



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