244 PRESENT POSITION OF 



Brussels, and Spreux, in Tournai. At the Brewers' Congress 

 at Ghent in July, 1892, M. Spreux stated that during the 

 previous month t/ie society had siipplied 75 Belgian breweries 

 with pure yeast, that they had 60 regular clients in Belgium, 

 Holland, and France, to whom the necessary yeast was sent 

 every week or fortnight. From Van Laer's publications it is 

 seen that, until 1894, he held the view that single cell yeast 

 was applicable to Belgian high-fermentation breweries, and 

 he and his society published several communications on the 

 good results thereby obtained. Subsequently he came to 

 the conclusion that a mixture of several species is better still. 

 La Societe des Ferments purs continues to advertise " le 

 systeme Hansen " ; whether it is my system in its simplest 

 form, or in the more complicated form dealing with mixtures, 

 I do not know. Later on I shall return to Van Laer's com- 

 posite yeast. 



In Belgium the manufacture and supply of pure yeast is 

 thus carried on at two breweries, whilst in other countries this 

 is undertaken at the zymotechnic laboratories. In connection 

 with the Berlin Station, however, a brewery has been erected, 

 and a part of it is arranged for this manufacture. 



It is thus seen that the system of pure culture has attained 

 a wide application in high-fermentation breweries, and also 

 in this branch of the industry it has been pronounced a great 

 advance by the highest authorities. It is, therefore, all the 

 more remarkable that it has not yet been adopted in England, 

 where high fermentation has prevailed from time immemorial, 

 and where there are the greatest breweries of the world. 

 When in 1889 I read my paper in London 'On my System 

 of Pure Yeast Culture and its Application in Top Fermenta- 

 tion Breweries ' (see ' Transactions of the Laboratory Club '), 

 the subject had certainly excited considerable interest in 

 England, but there was more inclination to discuss the matter 

 than to make experiments. In his Cantor lectures, Gordon 

 Salamon had given an account of my investigations, and had 



