FEEMENTATION BACTERIOLOG Y. lOlU 



eiizyin which cliunu'terizi's tlic l'unj::us tlu' aiitlioi" found lliut ( ,'rtaiii sul)stanoes 

 favored its development. Tlio enzym, to which the name malto" uicase is <iiven, is 

 exchisively secreted wlien tlu^ fnnjjus lias access to certain carbohydrates. The best 

 for this purpose is rafhuose, followed by dextrin, maltose, <ialactose, glycogen, cane 

 sugar, etc., in the onler named. 



Monilia sitophila and its appearance as the first vegetation on the ash 

 fields left by volcanic eruptions, A. (I. Vokj)kkman {Teytonaunio, IJ {1901 \, Xn. 

 C), pi>. J74--79). — The author notes the occurrence of this fungus abundantly on the 

 V)ranches and trunks of trees in a district where everything had been killed by a lain 

 of hot ashes after a \olcanic eru))tion. — ii. m. pieteks. 



The useful plants of French Guiana, M. (Jreshoff {Bnl. Kolonial Muk. Ifnarlem, 

 1901, Xu. 2'i, pp. 23-4S). — I.rief economic notes are given upon a collection of nearlj' 

 200 useful plants of French (iuiana which were prepared for the I'aris l^jXiiosition of 

 1900. 



FERMENTATION BACTERIOLOGY. 



A contribution to the knowledge of bacterial diseases of plants, C. J. J. van 



\\\\.\.[Jiiiiiiii. Diss., Uiiir. Aiiislcrihiiii, 190.', pj). 198). — In the TiT'st part of this work 

 the author summarizes our knowledge relative to plant diseases that are known to 

 l)e caused by bacterial attacks, and briefly considers a large number of others which 

 are considered as probably of bacterial origin, but of which the evidence is not 

 wholly conclusive. Among the diseases which have been demonstrated as of bacte- 

 rial origin are the brown rot of crucifers, brown rot of potatoes, cucurbit wilt, Wakker's 

 hyacinth disease, sweet-corn wilt, pear blight, lilac blight, olive tuberculosis, bean 

 ])acterial blight, carrot rot, ruta-bagaand turnip rot, a new disease of iris, and the rot 

 of hyacinths due to Bnoilhis Jn/itrinfJii sepfiru.^. Among those which are susj^ected as 

 being due to attacks of bacteria are a rotting of potatoes, mulberry-tree Ijlight, corn 

 blight, timothy blight, a sugar-beet disease, celery bacteriosis, cotton-lwll l)liglit, fruit 

 rot of tomatoes, sorghum blight, onion slime rot, grape gummosis, grape 1 )acteriosis, 

 "maladie d'Oleron" of grapes, a form of potato scab, bacteriosis of lupines, sugar- 

 cane gummosis, canker of ash trees, etc. The evidence of the bacterial origin of the 

 carnation bacteriosis, the mosaic disease of tobacco, and the "sereh" disease of 

 sugar cane is not considered as sufficient to ])ermit of their being classed as bacterial 

 diseases. 



In the second part of the dissertation an account is given of the author's investiga- 

 tions on some new diseases. These included studies of Bacilla.'^siihtilis and B. ndgatus 

 as i)arasites which cause the rotting of parts of many plants; descriptions of a new 

 disease of the German and Florentine iris, due to attacks of Psendoinomts iridis, n. 

 sp.; a rotting of potato stems by Bacillus at roi^eptieiis; and a disease of lilacs caused 

 by Psriidomonas syringx, n. sp. The symi^toms of the.se different diseases are fully 

 described, and the results of isolation, culture, and inoculation experiments are given. 

 The new species of bacteria are described in detail, and their behavior toward a large 

 nund)er of media is indicated. 



On different forms of hereditary variation of microbes, i\I. W. Bei.jerinck 

 [Pror. Sec. Sri. Konin/d. Abid. Wrlci.^rl,. Anislrrdmn, .^ {1901), j)p. 3r>3-S65) .—A.n 

 account is given of observations made uj.on many bacteria when grown in various 

 cultures. In comparing the results obtained with bacteria and similar organisms the 

 rules found applical)le to higher organisms do not apply. In the lirst place, there isa 

 want of sexuality, the variations being comi)arable with Inul variations of the higher 

 l)lants; and in the second place, the organisms are unicellular, which, in the author's 

 opinion, tends to render more apparent the phenomena of variation. A discussion 

 is given of different forms of variation and the conclusion drawn tiial liereditary 

 variability isa functi(m of growth, in jiarticular of slackt-ned or weakened growth. 



