166 



BACTERIA AND THE GUM OF LINSEED MUCILAGE, 



between the natural mucilage and the gum formed by micro- 

 organisms inhabiting the tissues of the plant. 



The three bacteria were grown upon the media that assisted 

 them to form a maximum of slime, and from the slimes the 

 bacterial cells were separated as completely as possible by the 

 autoclave method of treatment. The gums were evaporated to 

 mucilages and tested to see how closely they resembled Linseed 

 gUQi. The reactions are given in the following table, and it will 

 be seen that the organism marked " b " appears to be the most 

 promising. Its reactions are practically those of Linseed gum. 

 The alcoholic precipitate was curdy, and not adhesive when touched 

 like so many of the gums; in this it resembled Linseed gum. The 

 gums were also similar in giving thin, weakly-adhesive mucilages 

 with considerable quantities of precipitate. Furthermore, the 

 gum was rather difficult to obtain from the bacterial slime, a 

 condition suggestive of the not readily decomposible cellulose-gum 

 compound of Linseed mucilage. 



The Reactions of the Bacterial Gums. 



t, A coagulation or a precipitate; 

 o, no reaction. 



an opalescence or a slight precipitate; 



The 2um of or<janism "c" gave the reactions of arabin and 



the bacterium had the cultural characters of Jjcict. 



There 



