viii PREFACE. 



attainable by scientific investigation, and cannot be forced 

 on at pleasure. 



Under circumstances of this nature it requires great 

 strength of character not to give way to outside pressure, 

 and many examples are met with in the literature of the 

 subject where this firmness has been lacking. 



The result of these vexed relations between Scientists and 

 practical men has been to call into existence a quasi-scientific 

 literature by which neither Science nor Practice has benefited 

 a result which every one who has the healthy development 

 of this subject at heart must greatly deplore, and endeavour 

 to improve according to his ability. These conditions are, 

 however, in existence, and we must take them into account. 

 Amongst the chaff which occupies a large part of the afore- 

 said technical journals, there is, nevertheless, some really 

 good grain to be found, and he who undertakes to write a 

 work on Technical Mycology must not content himself with 

 gathering from purely scientific sources alone, but must, at 

 the same time, work through the technical journals as well. 

 This (by no means easy) task has been accomplished by DR. 

 LAFAR with commendable discernment and ability. 



In the last few years, certainly, we have had various 

 Text-books and Manuals giving a summary of larger or 

 smaller sections of Technical Microbiology ; none of them, 

 however, has treated the whole of this extensive field from 

 so comprehensive a point of view. To prepare a work like 

 the present requires not only many-sided discernment, but 

 also enthusiasm for the task, combined with courage and 

 endurance properties with which the book shows the author 

 to be endowed. The work will be welcomed, not only by 

 those for whom it is primarily intended, viz., Technical 

 Chemists, Chemists dealing with food-stuffs, fermentation, 

 and agriculture, Pharmacists, and Agriculturists but many 

 a professor also will derive benefit from its pages for his 

 lectures and researches. In this respect the copious biblio- 

 graphical references will also be of good service. In the 

 present volume we have unfortunately only the numbers 



