116 HISTORY AND CAUSE OF THE COCONUT BUD-ROT. 



Thus in solution A an acid was produced in the presence of the 

 dextrose and in consequence the rosohc acid changed from pink to 



yellow. 



In solution B, on the other hand, where no sugar was present, no 

 acid was produced, and hence practically no change in color of the 

 medium. 



ALBUMIN. 



Tubes were made up containing the white of eggs. In order to 

 prepare them the surfaces of the eggs were sterihzed in mercuric 

 chlorid and some of the albumin drawn out through the broken sur- 

 face by means of a sterile pipette and put into sterile test tubes. To 

 several tubes was added a small amount of sterile dextrose. The 

 tubes were then allowed to stand a week to ascertain if they re- 

 mained sterile, and then inoculated. 



The cultures were examined after 20 days incubation and appeared 



as follows : 



No. 6: With sugar; moderately clouded; no odor. 

 Bacillus coli: Without sugar; clouded; no odor. 

 No. 3: With sugar; thinly clouded and small precipitate; no odor. 

 No. 1: And all others with sugar; a little clouded, but the albumin did not appear 

 in any way to be affected. 



Transfers were made into beef bouillon from these tubes to ascer- 

 tain if the organism was still hving. After 30 days all the transfer 

 tubes were weU clouded. There was a slight clouding in the check 

 tubes themselves, due to the fact that the albumin from the egg is 

 not perfectly homogeneous, and in consequence it was difficult to 

 tell whether growth actuaUy took place or not. In some cases there 

 appeared to be distinct clouding, but in no case was there any 

 evidence of disintegration of the albumin as evidenced by an odor. 

 At no time was there any odor other than that of a fresh egg. It 

 appears orobable that the coconut and Bacillus coli organisms do 

 not have the pov/er of disintegrating albumin to any appreciable 

 extent. 



SUCCINIC ACID. 



In a chemical analysis of a peptone-dextrose medium in wliich the 

 coconut organism had been grown for some days it was found that an 

 abundance of succinic acid was formed. In order to ascertain if it 

 was the production of this acid that inhibited long growth of this 

 organism, a cidture solution was made containing 1 per cent peptone 

 and 1 per cent dextrose plus 0.5 per cent succinic acid in one case 

 and plus 1 per cent acid in another case. It was found that even 

 after incubation for 21 days no growth resulted in either medium. 

 Weaker acidities were then tried, as it was thought the organism 

 could not grow when so large an amount of acid was present. 



228 



