ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY* MICROSCOPY, ETC. 
669 
acid and solved possessed the least disinfecting power. Experiments on 
animals showed that metakresol was less poisonous than carbolic acid ; 
for the animals bore 0* * * § 79 grm. per kilo, of metakresol, while 0*3 grm. 
was the fatal dose of carbolic acid. Metakresol has not a strong odour, 
it forms a clear transparent solution, and irritates the skin but little. 
Catgut Disinfection. — Herr Saul * sterilised catgut by the following 
procedure : — In a specially devised apparatus containing the disinfecting 
fluid — alcohol absolute 850, acid carbolic liq. 50, aq. dest. 100 — is placed 
the catgut. The apparatus is heated to boiling-point (78°-80°) for 
15 minutes. 
According to Dr. Hofmeister f the foregoing method is not perfect ; 
for he has found the potato bacillus and two kinds of Staphylococcus in 
catgut sterilised according to Saul’s method. 
Spraying Experiments.^ — Mr. H. H. Lamson has found, by spraying 
fruit-trees with Bordeaux mixture, the chief ingredient of which is sul- 
phate of copper, that the gatherings are much increased, e g. the pear- 
trees yielded 47 per cent, as against 16 per cent., and apple-trees 21 per 
cent, as against 16 per cent. The same treatment prevents the scab, 
Fusicladium pyrinum and dendriticum , as well as the growth of algte and 
mosses on the stems. Early blight of the potato ( Macrosporium Solani) 
was so much diminished by spraying, that an increase of 33 bushels an 
acre was obtained. 
Belative Growth of Bacterium typhi abdominalis and B. coli 
commune in Gelatin Media.§ — The results obtained by Dr. J. Klie, 
who has made researches as to the growth of Bacterium typhi abdominalis 
and B. coli commune in nutrient media containing different percentages 
of gelatin and at different temperatures, may be summarised as follows. 
At a high temperature, both in typhus and coli cultures, in 10 per cent, 
gelatin variable forms of colonies appear at times. There are four kinds 
of colony: — (1) Those with a smooth margin, i.e. the ordinary form ; 
(2) those from the edge of which bacterial filaments are growing out ; 
(3) colonies from which small collections of bacteria are emigrating ; 
(4) colonies the bacteria of which are in an active state of diffusion 
through the medium. All these four kinds of colony occur both 
w’ithin and on the surface of the medium. Under suitable conditions 
the colonies form spirals, and the presence or absence of spirals is no 
diagnostic criterion. 
At the same age the colonies of B. coli are larger than those of 
B. typhi abd., but the filaments are less numerous. This difference is 
best seen in 24-36 Tours’ old cultures in 3 per cent, gelatin at a tem- 
perature of 18°-19° C. 
Meningococcus intracellularis.|| — Dr. J. Kister records two cases 
of cerebrospinal meningitis from which Meningococcus intracellular is 
* Langenbeck’s Archiv, lii. pt. i. See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., 
l te Abt., xx. (1896) p. 123. 
f Centralbl. f. Chirurgie, No. 9, 1896. See ibid. 
j New Hampshire Agricultural College Experiment Station, Bull. 27, 1895. 
See Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., l te Abt., xx. (1896) p. 440. 
§ Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., l te Abt, xx. (1896) pp. 49-63 (14 figs.). 
ij Tom. cit., pp. 148-50. 
