Bacterial Flora of the Semi -Desert Region of New Mexico. 235 



light and dryness may do much to kill off bacterial life in New- 

 Mexico, we also have greater facilities for distributing what 

 life remains than do most communities. There is, then, 

 abundant room for the application of practical and hygienic 

 sanitation here as elsewhere. Especially is such sanitation 

 desirable in the matter of expectoration by tuberculous pa- 

 tients, more particularly in cities and towns. The rapidity 

 with which sputa may dry and become pulverized, and finally 

 carried into the air as dust by winds, is remarkable. They 

 may be, and undoubtedly are, carried off by our strong winds 

 into the sparsely settled country, but this cannot entirely 

 eliminate the danger. 



From a botanical point of view^ our flora is quite interest- 

 ing. A large number of species show highly colored colonies. 

 Six out of the fourteen species are chromogenic. Four of 

 these chromogens are micrococci, viz.: Ai (salmon pink), A 5 

 (pink), A 2 (sulphur yellow), and A 4 (orange). Two are ba- 

 cilli, A 6 (yellow) and A ]0 (pale yellow). The remaining col- 

 onies are white or gray-white, and with the exception of A 8 , 

 all are bacilli. 



Among the micrococci the majority form tetrads, though 

 A 5 is a sarcina and A 8 a diplococcus. The bacilli are usually 

 immotile and sporeless. Bacilli A r , and A u form spores. 



In numbers the chromogenic and non-chromogenic bacteria 

 are about equally divided. Bacillus A 3 is probably most 

 numerous, with A 2 (yellow coccus) a close second. Of the 

 two red species, Aj was quite numerous, while A 5 was some- 

 what rare though usually present. A 4 was not at all abun- 

 dant except at Belen, but was frequently present. A 9 was 

 frequently present and quite plentiful. All other species 

 were occasional and rare. 



It is quite remarkable that this flora is apparently quite 

 constant for our region, as is shown by determinations made 

 fully 100 mi. apart. Even the mountain flora, as shown by 

 experiments in Hell Canon and on the Sandia Mountains, 

 contains most of the common species. It would seem that 

 this general uniformity is to be attributed to the strong winds 

 prevailing here, carrying the bacteria for many miles, thus 

 producing a common flora. 



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