474 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



are most comparable, having about the same number of cells in the start. 

 There seems to be a decrease in the fermenting capacity, the numbers 

 being 24, 28, 15, and 13 respectively. The rate of production does 

 not seem altered, the respective times being 77, 04, 72, and SO minutes. 



One instance is very noticeable especially in the first transfers, namely 

 that the cultures with small inoculum show a lower fermenting capacity 

 than the ones with large inoculum. In all previous experiments where 

 duplicates with different amounts of inoculation Avere tried, the smaller 

 inoculum showed the higher fermenting capacity because it was de- 

 termined at an earlier stage of development, before the retarding in- 

 fluence of the accumulating compounds became so noticeable. See the 

 beginning of subtitle V. The difference in this experiment is very strik- 



ing. 



Another experiment was carried on in the same way witli Strain IT, 

 but in this case the broth was made sugar-free by growing /?. coli in it 

 according to tlie Standard Methods of Water Analysis. At the same 

 time, a parallel culture was transferred daily in milk as a check, and 

 sub-cultures of this check were made corresponding to the su})-(ultures 

 from broth. The growth of the bacteria in ilie sugar-free broth was 

 hardly visible, and at first 1 cc. of the 24-hour culture was transferred 

 to the next tube. But after a few days' trial, one loopful was found 

 to be sufficient. The experiment was carried on for 'M days, and then was 

 given up because the fermenting capacity of Strain II did not seem to be 

 in the least affected. 



