Occurrence of Bacteria (Bacilli) in Living Plants. 73 



for instance, this biological condition with that which has 

 obtained with my tank plant. A large glass vase, of less 

 than two feet in depth, and light pouring into it in the open 

 air and surrounding the plant at all angles ; and not only 

 so, but a greater variation in the temperature of the water in 

 which it lives, for, I suppose, no pond water would rise 100 

 degs. Fahr., nor, indeed, over the average temperature of the 

 surrounding earth at a depth of one foot below the surface. 

 The factor of extreme light, with advanced amount of heat, 

 may be an important one in aiding the development or, 

 perhaps, of introducing the bacteria into the system of the 

 plant. 



I may add that my plants, with this exception — i.e., the 

 presence of bacilli — appear to be healthy. They throw up 

 male florets and long peduncles of female flowers, and, more- 

 over, are clean-looking compared with their less civilised and 

 favoured fellows of pond-life. These appear to me, to sum 

 up at present, all the known biological conditions. 



But, to return, What is the true nature of these 

 organisms ? 



First of all, it seems to me that we are not dealing with true 

 vegetal forms in some instances, and that there are objects 

 which possibly have been placed in the category of organised 

 life which are really chemical combinations, and not specific 

 plants or animals. Supposing that at this point of the 

 organic world we are able to differentiate between these 

 two forms — animal and vegetal — what functions, however, 

 do these organisms which we have been considering sub- 

 serve % They are widely spread or distributed, and they 

 lead us to surmise that they tend to the production of 

 further decompositions of the tissues in which they are 

 found. Fermentation of ordinary materials is familiar to us, 

 and here, in some degree, I think we are warranted in 

 accepting their presence as needful to this end. I will 

 adduce another instance of their presence, and also of the 

 mode by which they seem to be brought into activity, and 

 this is in accord with the phenomena of their presence in 

 superheated living specimens of vallisneria, and their com- 

 parative, if not their total, absence from those specimens 

 which have not been exposed to superheat or light condi- 

 tions. 



I have found bacteria in abundance in tea leaves after 

 infusion for tea-drinking. Now tea when prepared by the 

 grower is allowed to heat or commence fermentation, and 



