290 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 



[Vol. 10 



ing of particular interest, since, at the end of 22 days, no more 

 than a trace of citrate had been used. The maximum weight of 

 mat for solution 2 was a little more than a fifth of the maximum 

 in solution 1. On the fourteenth day a good test for oxalic acid 

 was obtained in solution 1. 



The production of alcoholic products by various fungi. — In 

 connection with the latter part of the work it was intended to 

 carry out aeration experiments in which the fungi were to be 

 grown in flasks plugged with rubber stoppers provided with 2 

 aeration tubes (inlet and outlet) and by this method to determine 

 the amount of CO* produced. It was believed that by aerating 

 the cultures twice each 24 hours the C0 2 tension would be kept 

 sufficiently low to allow of normal development of the fungus 

 and that enough 2 would be furnished. However, organism 9, 

 which was tried first, failed to develop rapidly and for a time re- 

 fused to sporulate, and later sporulated only sparingly in contrast 

 to the ordinary cotton-plugged cultures which sporulated heavily. 

 As it seemed useless to continue the aeration experiment, due to 

 the abnormal growth resulting from these conditions, the flasks 

 were left stoppered for about a week without aeration. As the 

 culture solution had developed a strong fermentative odor, it 

 was poured off and distilled, in the hope of finding the cause of 

 the odor. Twenty-five cc. of solution of markedly alcoholic 

 odor were obtained by distillation from 150 cc. of culture solution; 

 and on dilution to 100 cc. the solution had a specific gravity 

 slightly lower than that of water and gave a benzoate with a 

 very penetrating odor (Baumann and Schotten reaction). This 

 odor somewhat resembled that of ethyl benzoate but seemed 

 more penetrating. Weak iodoform tests were obtained in the cold 

 and stronger on warming, following the instructions of Mulliken 

 ( '04) . The crystals were examined microscopically and found to 

 correspond with those given by ethyl alcohol by the same test 

 but this is not distinctive. No similar products were obtained 

 where only dextrose was present as the source of carbon. Lack 

 of time and equipment for organic analysis prevented further 

 study of this solution in an analytical way, but similar phe- 

 nomena were observed in numerous cultures and it may be worth 

 while to indicate some of the results obtained. 



