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in developing;, secretes a diastatic ferment and tliat under certain conditions 

 of groAvtli tlie mould is convertible into yeast. These two properties alone 

 would establish its value to the commercial world aside from its scien- 

 tific interest. 



The object of the followin.ii- experiments is to study the yerminative 

 power of the conidia of Aspergillus oryzae. the plan being to test the 

 conidia of various ages in differejit media. 



This study was suggested by a statement of Wehmer's to the effect 

 that neither the age of the inoculating material, nor the medium upon 

 which it has been grown, affect the germinative power of the conidia. 



The material used in these experiments was taken from cultures germi- 

 nated upon the following media: Wort (obtained from the brewery, un- 

 fermented, but after having been hopped), wort-gelatine (wort fortified with 

 ten per cent, gelatine), dextrose, rice, bran, also some of the so-called orig- 

 inal material which had been obtained from Takamine. These cultures, 

 which were seventeen in number, covered the dates of Mai'ch 29, 1897. 

 to November 20, 1898. 



A new series of cultures were made from these seventeen cultures, 

 which varied in age from two years and eleven months to foiu- years and 

 seven months, the testing medium being wort. T'pon examination of 

 these cultures the following results were obtained: Cultures obtained 

 from the six, grown originally upon wort, and which varied in age from 

 two years and eleven months to three years and seven months, had been 

 germinated and the mould was in a vigoi'ous and advanced stage of 

 growth. Those cultures taken from bran, rice, wort-gelatine and the 

 oi'iginal material failed to show any signs of germination. 



In the second series of cultures the medium of germination used was 

 wort-gelatine. Upon examination of these cultures at various dates, it 

 w^as found that the six taken from the wort cultures had germinated and 

 the mould had grown vigorously, while those cultures taken from bran, 

 rice. etc.. had failed as in series number one. 



Pasteur solution was the medium used in the third series of cultures. 

 The results obtained were the same as the results from series one and two. 

 the six cultures taken from wort having germinated and all others hav- 

 ing failed. 



The fourth series, the testing medium bouillon, gave the following 

 results: Six cultures taken from woit grew, also one taken from bran, 



