New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 57 
— Oulture characteristics.—So far as tested this germ failed to grow 
in contact with the air. Even where oxygen was excluded 
it grew poorly or not at all on the ordinary peptone culture 
media. The addition of sugar stimulated the growth. Cane 
sugar dextrose and lactose are broken up with the formation 
of gas and acid. Growth on lactose agar is scanty, white 
and often in discrete colonies. On lactose gelatin, stab 
growth is not visible but after a considerable interval circu- 
lar liquified areas appear within the body of the gelatin. 
Temperature exerts a marked influence upon the rate of growth. 
At 22° GC. (71.6° F.) growth on lactose agar slopes appears only 
after two to three weeks while at 387° C. (98.6° F.) it is equally 
abundant in 2-5 days. 
The vigor of growth is closely connected with the nitrogenous 
part of the media. The juice from canned peas or broth made 
by cooking ordinary white beans gave more vigorous growth than 
ordinary lactose bouillon. The fluid became turbid in 2-3 days 
at 37° C. (98.6° F.) with later formation of a pale sediment. 
There is a rapid and fairly abundant growth at this temperature 
of mass cultures upon media made by the addition of agar and 
salt to either the pea or the bean juice. 
REMEDY” APPLIED. 
AT WHAT TEMPERATURE SHOULD PEAS BE PROCESSED. 
‘The true cause of this. outbreak having been established the 
next step was to determine the amount of heating necessary to 
destroy this organism when present in the cans. The use of. 
230° F. (110° C.) or any higher temperature would undoubtedly 
accomplish this provided the heating was continued a sufficient 
length of time. 
The function of processing peas is twofold. First it must 
insure the preservation of the goods; second it should cook them 
just short of the amount required before consumption. Pro- 
vided it does not injure the quality of the peas a high tempera- 
ture is preferable since it shortens the time required for proces- 
ing and thereby relieves the most congested part of the factory. 
FACTORY PRACTICE. 
In selecting a desirable temperature no more satisfactory guide 
could be expected than a summary of the practice of the canners 
