70 FEED W. TANNER 



Edson and Carpenter (1912) in their work, mentioned elsewhere, 

 prove that fluorescent bacteria play an important part in the 

 decomposition of maple sap. Thoni (1911) found fluorescent 

 forms in a bacterial study of lemonade. As has been mentioned 

 before these bacteria are abundant in water supplies. The 

 strains which were studied in this paper were all taken from 

 water supplies in Illinois. Schmelch (1888) found fluorescent 

 bacteria in cold glacial waters. Harrison (1898) found these 

 forms in hail, as did Belli (1902). 



Routine analysis of samples of water sent to the Illinois State 

 Water Survey indicate that fluorescent bacteria are rather com- 

 mon in waters from the Illinois and Mississippi rivers. They 

 are especially abundant in the samples from the Illinois river 

 which is rather heavily laden with organic matter, indicating 

 that they are more abundant where organic matter is under- 

 going decomposition. 



Previous studies on the fluorescent group of bacteria 



The most important investigation of this group, as such, was 

 carried out at the Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station by 

 Edson and Carpenter (1912). These investigators used the 

 society chart in their study of 42 strains of fluorescent bacteria 

 coming from maple sap which was collected from different 

 orchards in Vermont. The paper contains a complete descrip- 

 tion of the strains with the following group numbers : 



12 strains Pseudomonas 221 ,23321.32 



12 strains Pseudomonas 221.2332133 



7 strains Pseudomonas 221.2322132 



4 strains Pseudomonas 221 . 2322133 



2 strains Pseudomonas 221 .2333133 



1 strain Pseudomonas 221.2323132 



2 strains Pseudomonas 221 .22221,32 



1 strain Pseudomonas 221 .2232133 



1 strain Bacillus 221.2222732 Nov. Sp. 



From these group numbers may be inferred the close relation- 

 ship of the strains. All of them liquefied gelatin, but it was 

 necessary to keep some of the gelatin tubes longer than six 



