104 SUMIIARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



fermenting power, while very small quantities of acid may even have 

 a beneficial effect on both processes. This fermentation is promoted 

 by • 02 per cent, of sulphuric and • 2-1 • per cent, of lactic acid ; 

 hindered by 0-2 per cent, sulphuric, 0- 1-0" 18 per cent, hydro- 

 chloric, 0-4-0 -5 per cent, phosphoric, and about 2-5 per cent, 

 lactic acid ; and altogether prevented by 0-7 per cent, sulphuric, 

 0-5 per cent, hydrochloric, more than I'S per cent, phosphoric, and 

 more than 4 • 6 per cent, lactic acid. The development of Torida is 

 promoted by • 02 sulphuric and • 1-0 • 5 per cent, lactic acid ; 

 hindered by • 07 per cent, sulphuric and 1 • 5 per cent, lactic acid ; 

 and prevented by • 2 per cent, sulphuric and 4 • per cent, lactic acid. 



Influence of Alcohol on the Development of Torula.* — M. Hay- 

 duck has experimented on the influence on the production oi Torula 

 of alcohol itself, and of the subsidiary products of fermentation, 

 succinic acid, glycerin, nitrogenous excretory products, and fusel- 

 oil. The small quantity of succinic acid produced in fermeutation he 

 fi^nds to have no injurious effect on the production of Torula ; nor does 

 glycerin hinder fermentation, when present to the extent of 

 10 per cent. The nitrogenous products are also without injurious 

 effect ; while fusel-oil acts most prejudicially if j)resent to the 

 amount of 0*5 per cent., 2 per cent, of it entirely stopping fermeu- 

 tation. Alcohol itself hinders fermentation when present in small 

 quantities; a proportion of 15 per cent, entirely stopping it. From 

 2-6 per cent, of alcohol in a saccharine solution greatly injures the 

 development of Torula, while an admixture of 10 per cent, appears to 

 stop it altogether. 



New Species of Mortierella (MucorinD.f — J. Therry and Thierry 

 describe two new species of Mortierella found in gardens in the 

 neighbourhood of Lyons, one (ilf. arachnoides) in hothouses, the 

 other (M. Ficarice) parasitic on the leaves of Ficaria ranunculoides. 

 The former is remarkable for the very rapid growth of the 

 mycelium, the filaments lengthening as much as several metres in a 

 single night, without branching or anastomosing. Both have an 

 extraordinarily rapid destructive effect on their hosts, killing the 

 leaves in the open ground in three or four days, under a bell-glass 

 completely disorganizing them in three or four hours. 



Development of Mould-Fungi in the Bodies of Men and other 

 Animals. J — T. Leber records an instance of purulent ceratitis in the 

 eye caused by a fungus-mycelium introduced into the cornea on a glume 

 of an oat. Experimenting on rabbits, he found that the spores of Asper- 

 gillus glaucus introduced into the eye in the juice of fruits germinate 

 freely ; and equally at a temperature of 14^ or of 35°-37° C. This 

 capacity of germination in the bodies of animals appears to take place 

 whatever the previous condition of the fungus, and independently of 



* Zeitscbr. f. Spiritusindustrie, v. (1882) p. 183. See Bot. Cuntralbl., xii. 

 (1882) p. 4. 



t Bevue Mycol., iv. (1882) pp. 160-2 (1 pi.)- 



i Berl. kliu. Wochenschr., 1882. See Bot. Ceutialbl., xi. (1882) p. .^17. 



