THE CELL AS A MICEOBE 53 



selves. In some cases the members are tied to- 

 gether by a kind of gluey substance manufactured 

 for that purpose. Each member is assigned its 

 place in the colony, and is a kind of fixture at that 

 point. They all work together, however, and do 

 the same kind of work, with the same plan in view. 

 The entire colony is enclosed by a textile cov- 

 ering, to preserve the colony, confine it within 

 certain limits, and to enable it to act as one 

 body. 



Practically, the same thing takes place in the 

 service rendered by microbes in the useful arts. 

 Each industry which depends upon their work is 

 an example. In brewing beer, for instance, the 

 wort is first inoculated with the right species of 

 microbes by a yeast taken from a previous brew- 

 ing. They multiply and occupy every particle of 

 the liquor. They are now one colony or commu- 

 nity. The boundaries of the liquor are the boun- 

 daries of the community. All other micro-organ- 

 isms are practically kept out; while all the mem- 

 bers of this exclusive community do one and the 

 same kind of work for the brewer ; in subsisting 

 on the sugar of the wort they generate alcohol and 

 carbon dioxide which give vim and flavor to the 

 beer. 



The same thing happens in making alcohol, wine, 

 cider, or any other kind of alcoholic drinks; also 

 in making vinegar, butter, cheese; in tearing in 

 pieces dead animal or vegetable bodies, that their 

 atoms may go to nourish new forms of life, and 



