IMPORTANCE IN WINE-MAKING. 437 



in visiting the latter, transfer yeasts from wounded berries to 

 sound ripe ones, which latter they also wound in many cases, and 

 thereby infect. It was at one time considered that the trans- 

 ference of budding fungi in this way was chiefly effected by the 

 legs, maxillary organs, and the hairy parts of the insects ; but 

 A. BERLESE (II.) showed that yeasts especially Sacch. apiculatus 

 are present in the alimentary canal of various insects, and also 

 reproduce abundantly therein, so that the organisms are trans- 

 ferred to the fruit in the excrement. In fact, Berlese regards 

 this as one of the most important means of disseminating the 

 fungus in question. 



Considerable divergence exists in respect of the numerical 

 ratio in which the various organisms occur on the ripe fruit, and 

 subsequently in the expressed juice therefrom ; and as this greatly 

 influences the progress of fermentation and the character of the 

 fermented product, it is desirable that the conditions determining 

 this ratio should be more closely examined. Thus, in view of the 

 great influence exerted by the Apiculatus yeasts, it is highly 

 desirable to trace out the factors by virtue of which the fruits used 

 in wine-making are infested one year by a relatively large number 

 of these fungi, whilst another year there are comparatively few ; 

 and also why the ratio between elliptical and apiculate yeasts is 

 favourable at one time and unfavourable at another, according to 

 the external conditions of environment. At present we know 

 very little about this matter. 



Reess, who verified the frequent occurrence of Sacch. apiculatus 

 on grapes, found experimentally that in many cases this fungus 

 assumes the duty of starting the primary fermentation of wine 

 must, being afterwards displaced by Sacch. ellipsoideus, which is 

 then in a state of vigorous growth and carries the fermentation 

 to completion. The fungoid flora of a large number of grapes 

 from different districts was investigated by MARTINAND and 

 RIETSCH (II.). In one case they found Sacch. apiculatus exclu- 

 sively on eight varieties of grapes ; and in three others 20 per cent, 

 of Sacch. ellipsoideus, with 80 per cent, of Saccti. apiculatus and 

 Mycodenna In another case they allowed crushed grapes to 

 ferment, and found only mould fungi and Sacch. apiculatus ; 

 and it was only after repeated experiments that a few colonies of 

 Sacch. ellipsoideus could be detected. Musts obtained from Mar- 

 cobrunner grapes contained 80 per cent, of Sacch. apiculatus, 

 those from Johannisberg grapes containing 25 percent., whilst in 

 a few others the proportion was lower. Of course it must not be 

 forgotten that the constitution of the fungoid flora on packed 

 grapes is liable to alteration if transmitted to a distance. MULLER- 

 THURGAU (XXX.), however, has found that fresh grapes are fre- 

 quently infested with very large quantities of Apiculatus yeasts, 

 accompanied by only small numbers of elliptical yeasts. Thus, 

 Sacch. apiculatus alone was found on grapes from Bernegg (Rhine 



