182 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



1. Uninoculated sugar — dr}'- Room temperature. 



2. Uninoculated sugar — dry 37°C. 



3. Uninoculated sugar — wet. . Room temperature. 



4. Uninoculated sugar — ^wet 37°C. 



5. Inoculated sugar Room temperature. 



6. Inoculated sugar Room temperature. 



7. Inoculated sugar 37°C. 



8. Inoculated sugar 37°C. 



In 24 hours the bags were examined. All of those sugars which were wet 

 either wth distilled water or A^dth culture were hardened on the outside of 

 the bags, although still soft on the inside. Those stored at 37°C were harder 

 than those at room temperature. This seems to indicate that the hardening 

 was due to the effect of drying of the wet sugar. This conclusion is further 

 strengthened by the fact that the sugar in all of the wet bags became pro- 

 gressively harder as time went on. Drippings from the bags were submitted 

 to the Chemistry Department of the College for chemical tests for invert 

 sugar. Both the method blue test and Fehling's test for monosaccharides 

 indicated that invert sugar was present in all of the samples. 



An attempt was made to determine whether the microorganisms isolated 

 as described above could grow and cause an inversion of the sucrose in a 

 sterile sugar solution. It was found that both molds made some growth, 

 visible to the naked eye in three weeks and caused a partial inversion of the 

 sucrose, since a test for monosaccharides was obtained Avith Fehlings' solu- 

 tion. In connection with the sterilization of the sucrose solution some in- 

 teresting and suggestive data were secured. It was found to be practically 

 impossible to sterilize sucrose either as a solution in the autoclave or as a dry 

 sugar in the hot air sterilizer without inverting it. In the latter case, sterili- 

 zation at 125°C to 130°C for a long period was attempted, but a test for 

 monosaccharides was obtained, nevertheless. This suggests the futility of 

 making sucrose broth and sterilizing in the ordinary manner. In our experi- 

 ments above a sterile sugar solution was made by filtering the syrup through 

 a Berkfeld filter. 



V. Examination of cheese to determine if it had 'poisonous properties. 



Some Cheddar cheese was brought in by a physician, who stated that per- 

 sons eating the cheese had become ill with severe watery diarrhea, vomiting 

 and cramps. Persons in the same famil}^ who had not eaten of the cheese 

 had remained well. This piece of cheese which was as large as a hen's egg was 

 ground and mixed with bran and fed to a hen, who ate it all at one time. The 

 hen was kept under observation for 3 days but no signs of poisoning were 

 evident. Further investigation showed that the manufacturer had sold all 

 of the cheese locally, but had not received any other complaints. 



VI. Examination of two saynples of cream for undescrihable flavors. 



The first was a sample of cream with a putrid flavor. This was plated 

 out and a number of bacteria and molds were isolated, among them being a 

 spore forming rod, an Actinomycete and an Oospora. Inoculation of these 

 into sterile milk showed that the putrid flavor was due to the spore-bearing 

 bacillus. 



The second was a sample of cream with a peculiar off-flavor, which I can 

 only describe as "sickish", although I reahze that this is not descriptive. 

 When it first arrived it was sour and no off-flavor could be detected, I 

 inoculated some sterile milk with Ice. of the cream and placed the inoculated 

 milk in the ice box for 3 days. At the end of this time the peculiar flavor 



