BY R. GREIG SMITH. 345 



to non-volatile acids was as 1:4. The acids were detected by 

 the scheme which has already been described.* 



Ethyl alcohol is also a l)y-product in the fermentation. A few 

 drops were obtained by repeatedly distilling the fluid of a chalk- 

 culture after it had l)een saponified with barium hj^droxide. The 

 alcohol gave the iodoform reaction, bui-ned with a blue flame and 

 boiled at 78' C. 



The organism is a non-motile, spore-bearing bacterium, and 

 beyond the formation of slime and the secretion of invertase it 

 has no distinctive characters. It ma}-- be related to Bac. ^nucosus, 

 Zimm., or to Bact. glutiiiosiwi, Kern, but as the formation of a 

 similar gum or slime by these bacteria has not been described, 

 and as this is the chief and important characteristic of the bac- 

 terium, it must be accepted as new until such time as it is proved 

 that other bacteria with approximate cultural characters can 

 produce a chemically identical gum. Since the organism was in 

 the first instance obtained from the peach, I have named it 

 Bacterium'^ persiccH. 



Although obtained originally from the peach, it may occur in 

 other fruits and plants. A race which when freshly isolated 

 produced a spotted instead of the sausage appearance upon saccha- 

 rose-potato agar was obtained from a specimen of red cedar, 

 Cedrela australis, F.v.M., affected with gum-flux. Another race 

 which produced a homogeneous white slime was found in almonds 

 which were exuding gum. These races had slight differences 

 when grown upon various media, and in the list of cultural 

 characters which is appended these differences are indicated. 



Bacterium persic.e, n.sp. 



Shape, iLr. — Thick large spongy rods with rounded ends 

 generally grow in chains; occasionally a few Clostridium forms 

 are seen. The size of the individual rods are 1-2-1 -5 : 3-6 /z ; as 

 observed in the hanging drop, they measure 1 '5 : about 7 'O /u. 



* These Proceedings, 1903, i., 118-120. 



t According to Migula's classification. 



