( 469 ) 



The insolubility of peetosinase in water and, nmch more the faci; 

 that all the pectose bacteria examined by iis lose suddenly in 

 cei-tain not well defined circumstances the power to secrete it render 

 the study of this enzyme very troublesome. Particularly important is 

 its following propei'ty. 



Whilst the action of the pectosinase is fiwoured bi/ a little acid 

 the growth of the pectose bacterium is retarded bi/ acid. 



As to the rotting-process, for which the production of the enzyme 

 is clearly the essential point, one has, if not exclusively, at least 

 chiefly to reckon with the properties of the microbes themselves 

 more especially ^\ïÜl the conditions for their production. Hence, 

 from this point of view only a slight production of acid will be 

 favorable for the rotting. 



From the above it follows that the chief question of flax-rotting 

 is : what are the conditions of life of the bacteria concerned and 

 how can their multiplication and accumulation in the flax-stalks 

 be attained so profusely as to expel the other microbes, and, by a 

 sufficient formation of pectosinase cause the rotting-process to go on 

 regularly ? 



WiNOGRADSKY has, it is true, partly answered this question by the 

 discovery of the pectose-bacterium. But the essential point in the 

 arrangement of a rottijig experiment has quite escaped him, for he 

 has not recognised the necessity of the water refreshing. Hence, hitherto 

 there exists no clear method which may give rise to a iiatnral 

 accumulation of the bacteria specifically concerned in the rotting and 

 accordingly neither for the really rational arrangement of the rotting- 

 process. 



This gap will be filled-up here. 



6. Fiuula mental experiment for the explanation 

 of the rotting-process. 



A cylindrical glass vessel A, Fig. 3 is quite filled with flax V, 

 so that the stalks by their pressure mutually and against the 

 glass-wall, are |)revented from floating iq) as the vessel is further 

 filled with watei'. Thereby is obtained 5 to 10 7^ of weight in flax 

 to 100 of water. 



To the bottom of the vessel A, a glass tube B reaches, through 

 which pure water can flow down from the higher placed reservoir C. 

 This water flows upward through the flax-stalks, according as the 

 washing-water flows off by the tube J), and thereby extracts most 

 of the s()hd)le substances from the flax, whilst the insoluble 



31* 



