360 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Dec 



oculating material made no difference in germinative 

 power, neither did the medium upon which it had been 

 grown. 



For ascospore formation young conidia were sown upon 

 gypsum blocks in the usual way for obtaining yeast 

 apores, and in about a mouth'g time rounded masses of 

 protoplasm, resembling yeast spores, were formed in some 

 of the cells, though no cell-wall could be determined for 

 these spore-like bodies. The same spore-like bodies were 

 formed from the protoplasm in mycelial filaments under- 

 going the same treatment. 



No experiments were made directly to determine the 

 diastatic action, as work upon this has been done quite 

 extensively by chemists. So far as any experiment would 

 show, there was no indication that A. oryzse has the power 

 of causing alcoholic fermentation, nor of being trans- 

 formed through any conditions whatever into a yeast, 

 neither can it be used effectively in bread-making. 



Formaldehyd Disinfection. 



The hygienic laboratory of the Marine Hospital Service 

 has conducted extensive experiments in disinfection with 

 dry heat and formaldehyd in a vacuum chamber to deter- 

 mine the quantity of formalin (40 per cent solution of 

 formaldehyd gas) and degrees of heat required for dis- 

 infection in one hour or less. Hitherto 12 to 48 hours 

 have been required for efficiency under the low percent- 

 age of gas secured. A new apparatus has been made by 

 the Kensington Engine Works, Phila., which holds as 

 high a per cent of gas as desired in an airtight chamber. 

 It has a capacity of 1680 liters, with vacuum apparatus, 

 formaldehyd generator and ammonia generator. The cylin- 

 der contains a rack on which disinfecting articles are hung. 

 The generators are copper or iron boilers containing cop- 

 per coils, with a capacity of 3.21 liters. The coils connect 



