New York AGRICULTURAL I!) XPERIMENT STATION, 147 
and on those which had lain twenty-four hours in absolute 
alcohol. Other similar trials were made where the tissues 
had lain a month in either formalin or in absolute alcohol, 
respectively. All were promptly and similarly decomposed, 
there being no evidence of difference in this respect. The 
inhibiting action of formalin must, therefore, be attributed 
to its effect on the enzym itself rather than on the tissues. 
It is interesting to note in this connection that Bliss and 
Novy (1899: 79) found formalin to inhibit certain enzyms 
(papain, trypsin, amylopsin) and not others (pepsin, malt 
diastase). Von Freudenreich (1900), experimenting upon 
milk enzyms, found that formalin tends to lessen the action 
of galactase more promptly than it does that of pepsin and 
pancreatin. 
It is surprising that Potter (1900: 448) was apparently 
unable to destroy with formalin the organism causing white 
rot of turnip. We are led from our experiments to believe 
that larger amounts of formalin or more thorough agitation 
would have accomplished this. 
PHENOL. 
Seven trials of this, each involving several cultures, were 
made with uniformly satisfactory results. A piece of the 
crystal varying in size from one-fourth to one-half that of a 
pea (i. e., making 0.3% to 0.6% solution) added to a 10 ¢. ¢. 
broth culture and well shaken has never failed to produce 
sterility and there is apparently no retardation of the activity 
of the enzym. To cite a single experiment: 
A crystal of phenol half size of a pea, i. e., making about 
0.5% solution was added to each of six 10 ¢. c. broth cultures 
six days old and thoroughly shaken. On the second day 
thereafter transfers were made to test sterility. No growth 
having developed from these transfers seven days later, steril- 
ity was inferred and a cube of sterile fresh carrot about 5 mm. 
in diameter was added to each tube. In two days’ time all 
those pieces of carrots were fully softened. When compared 
with other tubes sterilized by thymol or chloroform and with 
those containing the living organism such phenol tubes showed 
no evidence of retardation. 
