68 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Feb. 



within seven minutes and in twenty minutes more there 

 were two full g-rown bacteria formed from each orig-inal 

 cell, althoug-h still attached to each other. At this rate of 

 multiplication 280,000,000,000 would be formed in twenty 

 four hours. They would occupy fully one inch of cubic 

 space. This org-anism is an aerobe and makes compara- 

 tively rapid g-rowth at 8-10 deg-rees C. The rate of divi- 

 sion increases up to 34-36 deg-rees C, but above this point 

 it is less rapid. Some g-rowth was obtained at 45 deg-rees C. 

 As to its parasitic nature, in its early stag-es the individual 

 bacteria are imbedded in protoplasm, the chlorophyll 

 g-rains become disorg-anized, the protoplasmic utricle is 

 broken up and the contents of cell are disinteg-rated. This 

 g-erm has the power of eroding- the cell-wall and thus 

 dissolves for itself a passage way, which may be broug-ht 

 about by an enzym and it is probable that the perforation in 

 the cell-wall is quickly healed by g-rowth and swelling- of 

 the same. They enter the host by means of stomata or 

 accidental punctures. It readily attacks young- and partly 

 g-rown leaves. In addition to an account of the distribu- 

 tion of the disease and the varieties affected they treat the 

 economic aspect. The paper is accompanied by two ex- 

 cellent colored plates and six other plates which show the 

 character of the org-anisms. (Purdue University, Ag-rl. 

 Exp. Sta. Bull., No. 59, Vol. VII, March, 1896.) 



Microbes that Make Glucose. — Everyone knows the 

 service-berry, that decorative shrub that retains its brig-ht 

 red berrieseven in themiddle of winter. Now these berries 

 were the subject of a sort of puzzle about half a century 

 ag-o. In 1852 Pelouze, examining- the juice of service ber- 

 ries that had been left for a long- time at the bottom of a 

 dish, discovered a perfectly crystallised substance, very 

 sug-ary, and having- all the properties of g-lucose. He saw 

 nothing- here that was not perfectly natural. We find 

 sug-ar everywhere, or almost everywhere; there was 

 therefore nothing- astonishing in the discovery, and the 

 new sug-ar was christened sorbine or sorbose. But now 

 beg-an the puzzle. When, a little later, other scientists de- 



