On the Bed Mould of Barletj. By C. G. MaWmvs. 327 



being formed. Colouring matter was produced as before. The 

 melon mould had little or no tendency to grow on the crushed 

 germinating barley food, whilst the barley mould in the same way 

 declined to flourish on pieces of melon. The close likeness existing 

 between the crescent spores of each mould is the chief point of 

 interest — indeed, spores of each may be selected that are indis- 

 tinguishable. In many other respects the moulds are dissimilar. 



Each of the two moulds described was introduced into sterilized 

 beer- wort of specific gravity 1 • 057 in separate flasks, and gave rise 

 to characteristic ferments, closely resembling each other, and re- 

 markable for the extraordinary size of the cells. These ferments 

 produce alcohol and carbonic acid gas, but act in a very sluggish 

 manner, being far less active than the ferment Mucor. The re- 

 sulting beer has a mawkish flavour resembling that produced by 

 the ferment just mentioned. To refer again to the sprouting of 

 the crescent spores from the melon given in fig. 6, it would 

 appear that the spherical bodies produced are ferment-cells, and 

 on these becoming detached and finding themselves in a suitable 

 fluid, reproduction by budding takes place. The ferment in each 

 case collects into leathery flocculent masses consisting of interlaced 

 tubes similar to Mucor, and inclosing in their meshes quantities of 

 detached cells, such as in figs. 1 and 5. 



To conclude with a few general remarks on the behaviour of 

 the red mould in the " Maltings." 



The growth of the mould commences at the germinal end of the 

 corn, and spreads towards the opposite end, the rate of growth 

 being determined by the supply of nourishment from the interior 

 of the corn, and this again is determined by the extent of the 

 injury the corn has received by crushing, &c. On some corns a 

 very slight coloration is apparent, whilst others are almost covered 

 by a crimson paste, from which hyphae are sometimes seen spring- 

 ing. The corns which are subsequently the worst afiected are just 

 distinguishable amongst the dry stored barley, but many others 

 that look like " idlers " develope the mould when on the " floors "; 

 but it is not until they have been four or five days out of steep 

 that their presence is observed ; from this period till the time of 

 loading the kiln the mould grows with some rapidity. The 

 affected corns are always such as are from various causes incapable 

 of proper germination, having perhaps been injured by heating in 

 the stack and sprouting, or by being spht or crushed during the 

 threshing, and are generally discoloured, misshapen, and indicate 

 by their appearance that little is to be expected of them. Occa- 

 sionally in such corns an abortive growth takes place, one or more 

 sickly brownish-looking rootlets may appear whilst the acrospire 

 remains inactive ; in others the reverse occurs, the acrospire growing 

 to some length, the rootlets not appearing, having been shrivelled 



