52 
THE FORMATION OF PROTEIDS IN PLANT-CELLS. 
whose oxygen would produce the nitrification in acting upon the 
ammonia, while the hydrogen would act reducing upon the 
carbonic acid of this salt, producing thus form-aldehyde, or 
carbohydrates. The process, however, would appear simpler if 
a part of the hydrogen of the ammonia could be employed for 
this reduction. I tried to explain this process by the following 
equations 1 ) : 
2NH 3 + 2Ü a = 2NO a H + 4H, 
C 0 2 + 4H = CH 2 0 -f H 2 0 , 
6 CH 2 0 = C 6 H i2 0 6 . 
This production of organic matter from inorganic without 
the aid of the chlorophyll apparatus is certainly most extraordi¬ 
nary. 
Some additional remarks mav be made on the nutrition of 
mould-fungi (. Pénicillium , Aspergillus, Mucor). Substances sup¬ 
porting the life of aerobic bacteria generally also serve as food for 
mould-fungi ; however there exist exceptions: methylamin, methyl 
alcohol or sodium valerianate are better utilised by bacteria, 
glyoxal better by mould-fungi. Neutral reaction is best suited 
for most kinds of fungi, in alkaline liquids however bacteria thrive 
better than mould-fungi, while in an acid one the contrary is 
observed (with certain exceptions 2 )). In certain solutions the 
development of bacteria will prevent the development of mould- 
fungi, in other solutions again both kinds of fungi may thrive at 
the same time. I infected for instance a solution containing 
potassium sodium tartrate i %, di-potassium phosphate and diam¬ 
monium sulfate 0,1% of each, and magnesium sulfate 0,05%, 
with bacteria of putrid meat and with spores of Pénicillium glau- 
cum, simultaneously, but only the bacteria developed although I 
rendered after 2 weeks the solution slightly acid with mono¬ 
potassium phosphate and infected once more with Pénicillium - 
spores. On the other hand when glucose was employed instead 
1) O. Locw, Ibid. 10, 758 and Central bl. f. Bacteriol. 9, Nr, 20. Waring ton 
expressed recently the same idea (Chetn. News 68. 175) and gave the following 
equation : 
(NH 4 ) 2 C 0 3 + 0 =:NH 4 . no 2 +ch 2 o+h 2 o. 
2) While Bacterium aceti thrives well in a solution containing several per cent 
acetic acid, cases may also be observed, where in an alkaline liquid bacteria cannot 
thrive but only mould-fungi. 
