ill test tubes, the conditions which exist in the 
stomach were simulated as far as possible. The 
milk was kept at body temperature and was coagu¬ 
lated by rennet or dilute hydrochloric acid, or a 
mixture of the two, the amount of acid present 
being from 0.2 to 0.3 per cent, which is the acidity 
of the normal stomach of adults. The milk was 
gently agitated during the formation of the curd 
by inverting the test tube slowly a half-dozen 
times. The milk was mixed with an equal part of 
the diluent and 50 Cc. of the mixture used in each 
case. As the coagulation of casein by rennet is 
somewhat different from its precipitation by dilute 
acids, a double series of observations were made. 
To one specimen of milk mixture, 2 or 3 Cc. of an 
active solution of rennet were added. And to 
another, 1 to 1^ Cc. of a 10 per cent, solution of 
HC 1 ; an excess of HC 1 was avoided, in order not 
to redissolve the precipitated casein. The coagu¬ 
lation always took place completely within a half 
minute with both acid and rennet. After noting 
the size and character of the curd, it was usually 
shaken moderately for a moment to determine 
whether it was soft and easily broken up, or tough 
and tenacious. The cereal decoctions were made 
from barley, oats, rice and wheat, parti) 7 from 
the grains themselves and partly from cereal flours; 
two tablespoons of cereal grains, soaked over night 
in water, were boiled for several hours in a quart 
of water, keeping the quantity up to a quart by the 
addition of water, and strained through coarse 
muslin; or two tablespoons of cereal flours were 
boiled for fifteen or twenty minutes in a quart of 
water. The decoctions obtained by these two 
methods are practically the same in character and 
action, and after the first few experiments the 
5 
