Some Bacterial Curiosities 45 



showing distinctly the time of day. So it 

 would seem that this cousin of the will-o'- 

 the-wisp no doubt often mistaken for him 

 is no malevolent genius after all, but a quiet 

 little citizen working away as diligently as 

 he can to make the world more comfortable 

 for his betters. 



It has long been known by the makers of 

 beverages that alcohol is formed in certain 

 sugary mixtures by a process called fermen- 

 tation, and that this tearing to pieces of the 

 sugar into other compounds, one of which is 

 alcohol, is accomplished by a little living 

 organism called yeast, closely related to the 

 bacteria. In the earlier days of beer- and 

 wine-making it was often found that the beer 

 did not work or ferment properly, and that 

 wine would get sour or bitter. We now know 

 that these irregularities are due to the fact 

 that certain kinds of bacteria are apt to get 

 into the wine or beer during the manufacture, 

 and when they do a bitter struggle for food 

 goes on between the yeasts and the bacteria; 

 or the latter may bide their time, and later 

 in the process begin to grow and produce 



