PSILOCYBE AS A FERMENTING AGENT IN ORGANIC 
DEBRIS 1 
Bv Charles Thom, Microbiological Laboratory, Bureau of Chemistry, United 
States Department of Agriculture, and Elbert C. Lathrop, of Samuel P. 
Sadtler & Son (Inc.), Philadelphia, Pa. 
INTRODUCTION 
As it comes from the sugar mill, the 
round cane, or bagasse, consists of 
brous tissue and crushed parenchyma, 
enmeshing some of the protein, gums, 
and coloring substances and a trace of 
the sugar of the cane plant. The mass 
averages about 50 per cent moisture, 
but this moisture is principally derived 
from water sprayed on during the grind¬ 
ing process, instead of natural sap. 
If not burned in the furnaces, enor¬ 
mous masses of bagasse accumulate at 
the factory. During the winter of 
1924, in connection with a study of the 
causes of spontaneous combustion, in 
which The Celotex Co. cooperated, we 
were able to examine a large quantity 
of this material. Masses of bagasse at 
that company's mill at Marrero and at 
several of their baling stations at sugar 
mills were inspected, after they had 
stood in piles for from two weeks to 
about two months. These masses illus¬ 
trate clearly the principle that the com¬ 
position of any particular product de¬ 
termines in advance the types of fer¬ 
mentation which will take place in it. 
Bagasse heats quickly when piled 
according to the methods observed. 
The exact agents responsible for the 
heating process were not determined. 
When these heated piles were examined, 
certain characteristic organisms were 
found. In the loose piles, mucors and 
Trichoderma were abundant, as exam¬ 
ined with the hand lens. When holes 
were dug down from the top of the pile, 
fruiting mucors were observable as 
deep as 2 to 3 feet. The temperature 
of the pile rose gradually, however, 
until it reached 62° C. between 3 and 
4 feet below the surface. Bacterial 
examination of material taken at this 
level showed typical rod forms still 
viable, but not in great numbers. Un¬ 
even heating processes may possibly 
account for the survival of occasional 
molds which appeared in cultures from 
the hot materials. If any vegetative 
activity continued at that temperature, 
it was restricted to very few and very 
special species. 
OBSERVATIONS ON BALED LOTS 
In baled lots produced for a special 
purpose, somewhat different observa¬ 
tions were made. Temperatures up 
to 60° and 62° C. were found in the 
center of bales deep within the larger 
piles, even after standing for as long 
as six weeks. No higher tempera¬ 
tures were observed, although the 
possibility of higher temperatures was 
not excluded. These piles were fairly 
well ventilated. 
On the surface of the bales the first 
organism to develop was Monilia 
sitophila, which spread over the piles 
with great rapidity and draped them 
with festoons of orange fruiting masses. 
Even after three to four weeks, 
handfuls of mycelium and spores could 
be gathered in many places. 
Bales protected from rain appeared 
to be so well pasteurized by the tem¬ 
perature attained during the heating 
process, which was general and so 
completely dried out that further 
activity of microorganisms was pre¬ 
vented. Where exposed to rain, the 
looser parts of the bales showed 
abundant fruit of mucors and Tricho¬ 
derma, mostly Trichoderma, which 
penetrated several inches into the 
ends of the bale. Such molds as the 
Penicillia and Aspergilli were incon¬ 
spicuous when apparent at all, although 
their presence was demonstrated by 
culture. 
The central areas of the bales were 
tightly compressed and apparently 
furnished conditions unfavorable for 
the growth of the common molds. 
Whenever the bales had become wet 
and cool these central areas were 
penetrated by mycelia, which, as 
could be seen with the naked eye, fol¬ 
lowed the cleavage lines entirely 
through the bales as they were split 
1 Received for publication July 9, 1924; issued June, 1925. 
Journal of Agricultural Research, Vol. XXX, No. 7 
Washington, D. C. Apr. 1, 1925 
Key No. E-33 
19977—25t-3 
(625) 
