Dr. Oscar Loew 5 
organisms, cause a rise of temperature depend- 
ing upon the depth of the stratum and the 
temperature of the surrounding air. The 
heaps of pulped coffee are generally 1 to 2 ft. 
high. In such heaps the temperature was 
found after fifteen to sixteen hours to range 
from 34° to 42° C. at an air temperature ‘of 
25° to 29°C. 
The alcoholic and acetic fermentations pro- 
ceeding in the heaps of pulped coffee are, 
however, not the most essential phenomena ; 
the most important point is that the .slimy 
stratum is separated. from the parchment 
envelope. It is by no means _ dissolved, 
but merely loses its firm adhesion and’ is 
left loosely spread. upon the parchment coffee 
so that it can easily be washed away by a 
current of water and the parchment coffee 
dried. 
Neither the acetic acid nor the enzyme 
already present in the slime causes the separa- 
tion of the slime layer, as tests have shown. 
Freshly pulped coffee was kept in dilute 
acetic acid (about 1 per cent. } at 35° to 40° C. 
and another portion in some water containing 
a few drops of ether to prevent bacterial 
growth. In both cases the slimy layer was 
found still firmly attached to the parchment 
after twenty-four hours. This leaves no other 
inference but that a peculiar enzyme dissolving 
the adhesive substance (a carbohydrate ?) 
between the parchment and the slimy stratum 
