ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
J 71 
£. Technique.* 
(1) Collecting- Objects, including Culture Processus. 
Practical Method for Preparing Agar for Cultivation Purposes.! 
— 100 grm. of agar are first washed with cold water and then placed in 
a kettle containing 50 litres of boiling water and 200 grm. of Carraghen 
powder previously rubbed up with cold water. The boiling is continued 
until all the agar is dissolved, after which it is allowed to cool down to 
50°, when ten whole hen’s eggs, previously well beaten up, are added. 
The fluid is boiled for a further 5—10 minutes and then strained through 
linen. One per cent, of glycerin is added to the agar mass, which, after 
distribution into five litre flasks, is sterilised. When required for use a 
flask is liquefied in a steamer and the hot fluid poured through a thick 
layer of cotton-wool. The filtrate after subsequent sterilisation should 
be clear. If, however, the glass vessel be of inferior quality it may 
render the medium turbid owing to giving up alkali. On this medium, 
even without addition of pepton and nutritive substances, most fission and 
yeast fungi will grow. 
Cultivation of Diphtheria Bacilli on Non- Albuminous Media.! — 
Herr N. Uschinsky states that he has succeeded in obtaining cultiva- 
tions of diphtheria in his medium. § The toxin therefrom was copious 
and strong, 1 • 5 ccm. of a 4-6 weeks old culture killing a guinea-pig in 
36-40 hours. The previous non-success was due to not recognising 
that young cultures are unsuitable, while old ones grow easily in non- 
albuminous media. The appearance of the cultures in Uschinsky’s 
fluid resembles those in bouillon. The filtrate gives a distinct albu- 
minous reaction, though, of course, it does not follow that this is due to 
the toxin. 
Culture of Saprolegniace8e.|| — Dr. A. Maurizio recommends pollen- 
grains (of a great variety of plants) as a favourable medium for the 
cultivation of Fungi belonging to the genera Adilya and Sajprolegnia. 
Growth of Diphtheria Bacilli in Milk.lf — Prof. M. Schottelius shows 
that for diphtheria bacilli raw warm cow’s milk is an extremely favour- 
able growth-medium, as compared with sterilised milk or alkaline bouillon. 
The figures, which speak for themselves, are, at room temperature, raw 
milk 21, sterilised milk 2, bouillon 7 ; at incubation temperature, raw 
milk 50, sterilised milk 6, bouillon 18. 
Keeping Potatoes for Culture Purposes.** — Dr.W. Simmonds states 
that potatoes may be kept for quite a long time without getting mouldy 
or dry by the following method, which he has practised for a year and 
* This subdivision contains (1) Collecting Objects, including Culture Pro- 
cesses; (2) Preparing Objects; (3) Cutting, including Imbedding and Microtomes; 
(4) Staining and Injecting ; (5) Mounting, including slides, preservative fluids, &c. ; 
(6) Miscellaneous. 
t Marpmann’s Bakt. Chem. Laborat. in Leipzig*; Zeitschr. f. ang. Mikr., ii. 
(1896) p. 237. X Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xxi. (1897) pp. 146-7. 
§ See this Journal, 1893, p. 796. 
(| Arch. Sci. Phys. et Nat., ci. (1896) pp. 599-601. Cf. this Journal, 1896, p. 446. 
1" Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., l te Abt., xx. (1896) pp. 897-900. 
** Op. cit., xxi. (1897) p. 100-1. 
