YEAST FERMENT: FUNGUS INFECTION. 
189 
calamities. Nature uses always to attain its purposes the most simple and the most 
effectual ways; therefore it is always the safest way to follow nature. 
Beer mash or diluted yeast should be applied either with a syringe or with a 
sprinkler ; and the fact that infested insects poison others with which they come in 
contact will be a great help. Of course it will be impossible to destroy all insects, 
but a certain limit to calamities could be attained, and I think that is all that could 
reasonably be expected. In greenhouses the result would probably justify very well 
a trial, and on currant worms and potato bugs the experiment would not bo a difficult 
one, as the larva? of both insects live upon the leaves, which can easily be sprinkled. 
But it seems to me more important to make the trial with the Colorado grasshopper. 
I should recommend to infest the newly-hatched brood, which live always together iu 
great numbers, and I should recommend als'> to bring the poison if possible in contact 
with the eggs in the egg-holes to arrive at the same results, which were so fatal to 
Mr. Trouvelot's silk raising. After all the remedy proposed is very cheap, is every- 
where to be had or easily to lie prepared, has the great advantage of not being obnox- 
ious to man or domestic animals, and if successful would be really a benefit to man- 
kind. Nevertheless I should not be astonished at all if the first trial with this rem- 
edy would not be very successful, 6T60 a failure. The quantity to be applied aud 
the manner of the application can only be known by experiment, but I am sure that 
it will not be difficult to find out the right method. I myself have more conlidence 
in the proposed remedy, since it is neither an hypothesis nora guess-work, but simply 
the application of true and well-observed facts. I hear the question, When all this 
has been known for so long a time, why was it not used long ago? But is that not 
true tor many not to say lor all discoveries ? Most of them are like the famous Colum- 
bus egg. 
It will be seen Unit Dr. HageD attaches little importance to the pres- 
ent opinion and judgment of mycologists u to the non-identity of the 
several fungi alluded to. We have corresponded with some of the lead- 
ing cryptogamists of this country on this subject, and they are quite 
unanimous in the opinion that then is no one u of the least reputation," 
to use Professor Fallow's words, who admits that there is any connec- 
tion between the fly fungus, known as Empusa musav but belonging- to 
the genus SaproUynia, and the yeast fungus, tSaccharomi/rcs cerevisias. 
It is to be regretted, also, that more precision has not been used by 
Dr. Hagen in referring to these fungi, for the "common mold known 
to everybody" is most vague, since many different species of mold are 
recognized by specialists, while "a small water-plant, known only to 
profession il botanists," is such an indefinite expression as to inspire 
little confidence in the thoroughness of Dr. Bail's experiments. Leav- 
ing to the specialist, however, the question as to the kind of relation 
existing between the lower forms of fungi intended to be referred to by 
Dr. Hagen, we felt that the suggestion coming from so eminent an 
entomologist was well worthy of practical trial. We took occasion, 
therefore, to experiment with beer mash by spraying and sprinkling 
it upon various plants that were to be fed in our vivaria to Lepidop- 
terous larva}. The principal larvae thus experimented with were of 
Paj)ilio aster ias, Danais archij>pus, and Pier in rapev. The results gave 
no encouragement to the hope that anything practical would result 
from the proposed remedy. The larvae fed with equal avidity and went 
through their transformations as well as the same species had done on 
