450 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Concerning- bacteria which assimilate carbon from the air, M. W. Bei.te- 

 RINCK and A. vax Dei.den {('nilbl. Bakt. u. Par., 2. Aid., 10 {190.i), Xa. >, pp. 3.^-47).— 

 T1k> rewnlts of a l)i<)lo<^i('al study of BuciUun (ditfoc(irJ)oj)hilit.'i, an or<>:ani8m said to l)e 

 eai)able of derivin<^its carl)on from the air, i)rol)a])ly from volatile hydrocarbons and 

 not from the carbon dioxiil of the air. The organism has been cultivated on a 

 number of media containing no source of carbon except that found in the air, and 

 favorable growth was made under such conditions when all carbon dioxid was 

 eliminated. 



Recent progress in the field of soil bacteriology, II. Buhlert {Fahllng'it 

 Ldtidn: Zhj., 52 {1903), Nos. 13, pp. 4-51-457; 14, J>l>- 4''4-500) .—X review of- work 

 along this line, including a reference to the recent work of Beijerinck on BacilluH 

 oUgocarboplnlns, which is capable of deriving its carbon from the carbon compounds 

 of the air (not carljon dioxid). (See above. ) 



Some experiments -with luminous bacteria, B. Issatchexko {Centhl. Bakt. u. 

 Par., 2. Alt., 10 {l!)03), No. 16-17, pp. 497-499).— kitenWow is called to experi- 

 ments by the author on some of the phenomena exhibited by luminous bacteria. 

 Cultures of Photohacterium phosphorescens were made, and after several days' growth in 

 culture tubes were placed with etiolated seedlings of clover, rye, and oats in an abso- 

 lutely light-jjroof chamVjer. After remaining in this chamber from 24 to 48 hours 

 the seedlings were examined, and it was found that the intensity of the light given 

 off by the bacteria was sufficient for the formation of chlorophyll in the plants. 

 This would seem to indicate that the quality of the light rays plays little j)art in the- 

 process of chlorophyll formation if the light is of sufficient intensity. 



Notes on Bacillus coli and allied forms, S. De M. Gage and PI B. Phelps 

 {Reprint from Proc. Amer. Pub. HealtJi Assoc, 1902, pp. 1-11). — Studies with Bacillus 

 coli and allied forms, with special reference to the neutral red reaction, have been 

 carried on at the Lawrence Experiment Station, at Lawrence, Mass., for a number 

 of years. The authors found from their investigations that as a preliminarj^ test the 

 neutral red reaction is as sensitive and accurate as any which has been hitherto 

 propose*!. This reaction, however, has given pf)sitive results for other organisms 

 than B. coli. For more delicate tests the authors recommend the dextrose Ijroth 

 method, which is fully described. 



The spore germination of Bacillus subtilis and B. megatherium, L. F. 

 RETTCiER {CentlA. Bakt. u. Par., 2. Aht., 10 {1903), No. 14-13, pp. 433-43S, figs. 3) .— 

 The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to a " hanging-block " method recently 

 described for the morphological study of micro-organisms, and to present in some 

 detail the processes involved in the germination of these 2 species of organisms. 

 The author finds that although these 2 species resemble each other closely in most 

 respects, they differ very conspicuously in their method of spore germination. These 

 differences may be readily made out in " hanging-l)lock " cultures. 



The cleavage of nitrogenous organic substances by bacteria, ( ). E.mmerling 

 {Die Zersetzung stickstoffreier organischer Substanzen durch Bakterien. BrunsuAck: 

 Friedrich Vieweg cC: Son, 1902, pp. 141, pl^- 7; rev. in Zischr. Untersuch. Xahr. u. 

 Genussmtl., 6 {1903), No. 12, p. 574). 



Fermentation organisms, A. Klocker, trans, by G. E. Allan and J. H. 

 Millar {Neiv York: Longmans, Green & Co., 1903, pp. XX-^SSl, figs, i.^).— In this 

 text- book the author gives a review of the biology of fermentation organisms, espe- 

 cially in the manufacture of beer. In spite of this limitation, the book is varied in 

 character and treats of the general phenomena of fermentation. 



The subject-matter is divided into '.^ sections, the first of which traces the develop- 

 ment of the science of fermentation. This is followed by descriptions of laboratory 

 equipment and methods, special attention being given to the preparation of pure 

 yeasts upon a commercial scale, after which the more imjjortant micro-organisms of 

 alcoholic fermentation are treated at length. Bibliographies of the more important 



