1896.] The Bacterial Diseases of Plants: 917 
This absence of spores in the living plant is also in harmony 
with the fact that in the nutrient liquid the formation of spores 
begins only when the alimentary substances are exhausted. 
This, naturally, is never the case in the living bulb. It is not 
impossible, however, that when diseased bulbs have been en- 
tirely destroyed spores may form in the remaining mass if the 
temperature is favorable. An effort was made to prove that 
these spores were actually developed from the hyacinth bacillus 
by allowing a drop of fluid containing them to dry on a slide 
for some time, and then placing that part of the slide bearing 
the dry spores in contact with the fresh cut surface of a bulb. 
In three weeks the yellow disease was discovered in the vessels 
of the bulb, and it was at once apparent that it had already 
been developing in these for some time. This experiment was 
repeated several times, and always with the same result. This, 
indeed, is not full proof; but when old cultures are used very 
few vegetative rods are left, and the infection is believed to 
have resulted principally from the germination of the spores 
in the sticky fluid that oozes from the cut scales, the bacteria 
finding their way from this into the vessels. 
(5) Zooglea.—No special mention of zooglea. Possibly the 
more or less circular or globular groups of motionless rods 
which commonly appeared in the cultures as they became ex- 
hausted are to be regarded as such. 
(6) Involution forms—No mention of any involution forms. 
3. Biology. 
(1) Stains—This organisms stains very readily in the most 
diverse analin colors. The author made a variety of experi- 
ments to determine the best method of staining the bacteria 
in place in the tissues. He obtained the best results with 
analin browns, especially phenyline brown (Bismark brown), 
but states that many other colors may be used, e. g., eosine, 
methyl violet, analin yellows and picric acid. The yellow 
stains have the special advantage of giving to the prep- 
aration almost exactly its natural color. To stain in place, 
sections made from alcoholic material should be put into a 
saturated alcoholic solution of the analin brown, left for a few 
minutes, and then transferred to strong alcohol containing an 
