139 
seven. Some contained little or no moulds, while others abounded in them. 
No corroded starch grains were found, showing the flours to be in good 
condition. The number of bacteria found per gram in the samples by 
counting the colonies produced on agar plates afford the means of some 
rather interesting comparisons.. For example, Nos. 1, 4, 6, 9 and 11, high- 
grade patent flours, gave the following number of organisms per gram: 
Bacteria. Moulds. 
INO lepers eters vans tel tore spe fa ch ley ssovasiss one sive aah bie de 4,090 2,272 
INGO Mem ered riety abn cites a etree aie asSe) Stier} Seat ee eB eral ans 4,545 909%) 
INO MAGNE ey See ae coe ist eisae Tp NUn aie a: exehayeravenar a) earthen & 000 
INO ae Sera aseeei cate thts cinacdhe saute crete orate 4,545 4,090 
INQ sep etewepene curs ora. Sesea eo tatal ohyaudean aca ethe omerent 6,363 000 
Nos. 3, 7 and 12, medium grade products, gave the following number per 
Dp 
gram. 
Bacteria. Moulds. 
INO Woods teeuaestebe aan etae Sone aha gsils os vepetenc) oe 14,545 1,363 
INO MAINTE Eat aii aroktett ease ie ete rine) or tai socal atte 15,909 2,727 
INO eer tetcieaysnerecisks atbatcn curtis witty oveitee. Seas 18,136 909 
Note the increase of organisms produced using the common flours. 
Using Nos. 8 and 10, low-grade flours: 
Bacteria. Moulds. 
INGO Raa ce sieve CR ae sc ols tedetneasuerane ro 'stame irene l 000 
INO HBROA NE aA toe eae c eh atk patra ene atts leberoyars 254,545 909 
The above figures show beyond a doubt that the high-grade patent 
flours are much freer from bacteria than the medium and common-grade 
products. The process seems to affect the number of bacteria in flours. 
For example: No. 10, manufactured under a poor process, contains more 
bacteria than Nos. 8, 12 and 3 flours, manufactured under very careful 
processes. 
The number of moulds found in these flours does not vary to the ap- 
preciable extent that the bacteria do. Grade seems to be no guide here. 
Among the 17 different species of bacteria there is one which was found in 
three of the flours which is a peculiar form, and although its properties 
seem to be very distinctive, yet no description could be found to answer it. 
The colonies are hard, dry, and pure white in color, and grow upward from 
the agar, forming a solid, round and slightly wrinkled mass, which cannot 
