STUDIES ON FERMENTATION. /d 



case where we employ an acid liquid ; for organisms of that 

 kind we must have recourse to neutral or slightly alkaline in- 

 fusions. On the other hand, liquids having a feeble acid 

 reaction would favour the growth of tnucedines, mycoderms, and 

 certain ferments, as for example, the alcoholic. 



On November 26th, 1872, we opened and reclosed thirty 

 flasks containing must kept from the last vintage. 



Ten flasks were opened at the bottom of the garden of the 

 Ecole Normale. 



Ten on the landing of the second floor. 



Ten in the principal room of our laboratory, which had been 

 swept out shortly before, by which operation the dust of the 

 floor had been raised and put in motion. 



Difierent objects made their appearance in a certain number 

 of the thirty flasks on the following days ; but from December 

 17th, things remained stationary. The following observations 

 were made at that date : — 



Of the ten flasks from the bottom of the garden, only one had 

 undergone any change. 



Of the ten flasks from the interior of the building, four had 

 undergone change. 



Of the ten flasks from our laboratory, all had undergone 

 change. 



The difierence in the number of germs held in suspension in 

 the three difierent places whence we had taken our air was, 

 therefore, considerable. 



The difierence in the nature of the germs was equally marked. 

 Those flasks of our first two series which had undergone change 

 presented no trace of tomlce, or anything besides fungoid 

 growths, whilst three of the last ten contained toruke associated 

 with fungoid growths.* 



* We may remind the reader that in 1862, in our Memoire sur les 

 Generations dites spontanees, we applied the expression of torula to all the 

 little cellular plants of spontaneous growth, excepting mycelium, pro- 

 pagated by budding, after the manner of the ferment of beer. At the 

 same time, stress was laid upon the frequent occurrence of their germs, 

 especially in our laboratory, where studies on fermentation were, even 

 then, carried on. Plate III. represents two of these ferments. 



