44 



there being- no alkaline reaction whatever (2 tubes). After 55 days' 

 growth the slime from another set of tubes showed no trace of alka- 

 line reaction. That from one tu])e was "neutral or slightly acid"" 

 when stirred up in a drop of distilled water and tested with neutral 

 litmus-paper, while that from another tube was "feebly acid.'' These 

 results may ))e compared with those obtained from old cultures on 

 common potato. 



Sugar Beet. 



The white sugar beet was prepared for use in the same way as the 

 potato cjdinders. 



Ps. hyacintld grew copiously on this medium and for a very long 

 time. Usually, at 20'^ to 25'^ C, growth was visible by the end of the 

 fourth day, and sooner if very copious inoculations were made; but 

 in some instances growth did not appear until the sixth da}^ i. e., 

 there was some retardation. Once, on rather dry cylinders 3 months 

 old, the germ refused to grow, although it grew promptly in check 

 tubes of freshly prepared coconut. Moreover, although inoculated 

 very copiously on several different occasions, the organism could not 

 be induced to grow in a flask containing several hundred grams of 

 ground ]>eets covered with 100 c. c. of distilled water. This failure was 

 attributed to the acidity of the beet juice, since the organism grew 

 readily in another flask, which was prepared at the same time and from 

 the same beets, and differed from the preceding flask only in having 

 the flrst 100 c. c. of water poured ott' after some hours and another 100 

 c. c. added. 



Generally, by the end of the first week, the whole or nearly the 

 whole of the aerial part of the cylinder was covered, but the early 

 growth was not as copious as in corresponding tubes of P^. cahtpestrk. 

 In time this growth became very copious, and the fluid gradually 

 filled up with a solid yellow slime. In 20 days (2 tubes) the growth 

 was "much better" than on potato. In 22 days (another series) 

 the growth was 3 times as much, and in 31 days 20 times as 

 much as on potato. In 37 days (another series) there was a copious 

 growth over the whole cylinder, and the fluid in the bottom (1 to 2 

 c. c.) was full of the yellow slime, there being at least 50 times as 

 much development as on the potato. Judging from its appearance, 

 this culture continued to grow for another month. After 65 days 

 (another series) there was a much better growth than on potato. The 

 growth in the air was copious, but not all of the fluid was filled with 

 the slime. After 52 days (another series) the beet cylinder was 

 entirely covered with a very copious growth and the fluid around the 

 lower one-half was filled full of a yellow slime, exactly as if it were 

 the cabbage or bean parasite growing on potato. In tubes of potato, 

 inoculated at the same time from the same culture, the organism had 



