602 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
of Gymnosporangium, especially G. juniperinum, clavariseforme , and 
Sabinse. They all cause a hypertrophy of the parenchyme, but the 
exact changes produced are characteristic of each species. 
Sclerote of Rhododendron.* * * § — Herr E. Eischer finds the fruit of the 
Alpine species of Rhododendron to be infected by a sclerote ( Sclerotinia 
Rhododendri) very similar to that of Vaccinium. By cultivation he was 
able to obtain the ascus-fruit. Besides ascospores, it forms also 
chlamydospores ; but no conids have at present been detected. It is 
not identical with the fungus parasitic on R. dahuricum. 
Microbiology and Manufacture of Arrack. j — The botanical position 
of Amylomyces Rouxii , described by Calmette i as the principal organism 
in Chinese yeast used for making arrack, has been determined by Dr. C. 
Eijkmann, who finds that it is a species of Mncor , and suggests that it 
be called M. amylomyces Rouxii . The fungus consists of a mycele from 
which proceed sporangiophores topped with Mucor heads. The sporanges 
are filled with blackish spheroidal spores. The columel is large and 
rounded. The fertile hypliae are much branched, and send rhizoids down- 
wards. Zygosperm-formation was not observed. Besides this there 
appears to be an asporogenous variety which, while it possesses a strong 
diastatic action, has little tendency to decompose the sugar so formed 
into lactic acid. 
Though at first sight it might seem certain that this organism plays 
the principal part in the fermentation of the molasses used in the pro- 
duction of arrack, yet, according to the author, the effective agent is a 
fungus 0 * 005-0 * 006 mm. thick and 0 • 02-0 * 04 mm. long. It multiplies 
by fission, and is a very powerful alcoholic ferment. Its wall is of 
cellulose, and its contents finely granular. It has two characteristic 
shapes, one cylindrical with rounded ends, the other resembling a flail. 
It grows well on saccharine or amylaceous media. Spore-formation was 
not observed. It inverts cane sugar, forming alcohol and carbonic acid 
in pretty considerable quantity, and when a pure cultivation is sown on 
molasses, the fluid has all the character of good arrack. 
Schizosaccharomyces octosporus.§ — M. M. W. Beyerinck describes 
an alcohol yeast which was isolated from currants from Zante. Numerous 
examples of the organism are clearly depicted in the illustrations drawn 
by the author ; these show that the organism varies in shape with 
different cultivation media ; for on wort-gelatin it is oval, single or 
in pairs, some pairs being united by a narrow band, while others are 
capped. In glucose wort they are round, in pairs, tetrads or octads. 
On acid laevulose-wort the shape is irregular. The average size of 
these young cells is about 8 p, while the asci are from 12-20 p. The 
asci always contain eight spores, which when ripe are spheres about 
4^ p in diameter. They possess a nucleus, and their plasma presents a 
radiated appearance. 
Only on media containing glucose, leevulose, and maltose does this 
organism thrive with fermentation and production of alcohol ; on cane 
* Ber. Schweiz. Bot. Gesell., 1894, Heft 4. See Bot. Centralbl., lviii. (1894) p. 13S. 
f Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xvi. (1894) pp. 97-103 (3 figs.). 
t Cf. this Journal, 1893, p. 681. 
§ Centralbl. f. Bakteriol. u. Parasitenk., xvi. (1894) pp. 49-58 (1 pi.). 
