6 Agricultural Bacteriology. 



numbers since one cell forms but a single spore, and c 

 germination this spore grows into a single cell. N< 

 all bacteria form spores, a very fortunate circumstan< 

 as will be seen later. The resistant spores often gr\ 

 to the dairyman and farmer a great amount of trouble 



Movement of bacteria. Plants as a rule do not mov 

 yet some of our common plants can move their leave 

 as the ordinary sensitive plant. Many water plan 

 possess organs of locomotion. Certain of the bacter: 

 are able to move in the liquids in which they exis 

 This motion is accomplished by the lashing to and fi 

 of the fine hair-like processes known as cilia. Tl 

 movement of the bacteria is really very slow althoug: 

 when a drop of a liquid containing motile bacteria 

 seen under the microscope, the bacteria seem to be mo 1 

 ing rapidly about, for their motion is magnified in tl 

 same manner as are the bacteria themselves. 



Food supply of bacteria. The green plant lives o 

 certain inorganic substances in the soil. The colorle? 

 group of plants to which the bacteria belong, the fung 

 live on living or on dead animal and vegetable matte 

 By far the majority of the bacteria find most favorab] 

 conditions for growth on dead organic matter. The 

 cause the spoiling of our food-stuffs and are largely r( 

 sponsible for the complete disappearance of the aninu 

 and vegetable matter that reaches the soil. They ar 

 thus of the utmost importance for without them th 

 earth would soon be encumbered with the dead bodie 

 of plants and animals. To consume this organic ma1 

 ter is the function of the class of bacteria known as th 

 saprophytic bacteria. The bacteria that, under natura 

 conditions, live only in the bodies of living plants an* 



