( 468 ) 



At the exaiiiiiiatioii of the luimeroiis microbes which may be obtained 

 from flax in rotting condition, the result was negative for by far the 

 greater part of the species. No rotting was to be observed with the 

 \'arious kinds of yeast, of Mycoderma, of Torula, of Oidium and of 

 red yeast, nor with the lactic-acid ferments, the vinegar bacteria and 

 the different forms of the Aerohacter-^vow'^, such as A. coll and 



A. aerogenes, which organisms are all universally found in the rotting 

 water of natural rottings. 



The aerobic bacteria of the hay-bacteriagroup {B. mesentericus and 



B. subtilis), which, at sufficient supply of air are on the contrary 

 strong rot ting-organisms, are rare in good rotting water. For rotting 

 they should be kept at least at 30''. 



5. The rotting reposes on the action of the enzyme pectosinase 

 lohich is secreted hy the 2)ectose-hacteria. 



The action on the flax, as well of the anaerobic Granulobacter 

 pectinovoriun as of the aerobic hay-bacteria and the moulds, is caused 

 by a specific enzyme pectosinase ^). This enzyme, like the acids, exerts 

 an hydrolytic influence, first converts the pectose into pectine, and 

 subsequently the pectine into sugars, which are fermented by G. 

 pectinovorum {Gp fig. 2) under production of hydrogen, carbonic 

 acid and a little butyric acid, and assimilated in case the hay-bacteria 

 are used for the experiment. 



These sugars are most probably galactose and xylose, and (perhaps 

 in some cases) also glucose and arabinose, which as we saw^ before, 

 have been found by Tollens as products of the hydrolysis of the 

 pectinic substances with acids. 



Pectosinase is not easily soluble in water and can he precipitated 

 with alcohol. In presence of chloroform and in absence of the 

 microbes, we succeeded thereby to decompose into cells thin slices 

 of potato, and further to liquefy with it solid plates of pectine, 

 made by solidifying pectine from Gentiana hdea (see ^ 2) with 

 pectase -\- CaCl'. The action of the isolated enzyme is feeble, much 

 feebler than when also the secreting bacteria themselves are present 

 in living condition. This is evident from the facility with which the 

 hay-bacteria at 37^ C. decompose slices of li\'ing potatoes, whilst this 

 gives much more trouble when effected by the enzyme prepared 

 separately. 



1) Not identic with the ''pektinase" or" Bourquelot and Hérissev (Comptes 

 rendus T. 1:27 pg. 191 1898) from green malt (which is identic with the "cytase" 

 of Brown and Morris (Jüurn. Ghem. Soc. Trans. 1890, p. 458)) for with malt 

 flax cannot be rolled. 



