New YorK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 191 
De Bary (1887: 101) accepted van Tieghem’s account of the 
breaking up of cellulose membranes by a “ diastatic enzym ” 
in the process of decay attributed to Bacillus amylobacter. It 
is, however, generally agreed by bacteriologists to-day that this 
name is applicable to a class of bacteria rather than to any 
single species. 
Vignal (1889) in his monograph on Bacillus mesentericus 
vulgatus records that it secretes a ferment capable of disso- 
ciating the cells of potato tubers by dissolving the intercellular 
substance, i. e., middle lamella, but without dissolving the 
cellulose of the wall. Similar action occurred upon parenchy- 
matous tissues of beans, chestnuts, turnip, carrot, cabbage, 
beets and numerous young stems when these were immersed in 
the cultures. In none of these did full solution of the cellulose 
ralls occur even after three months. It is noteworthy that 
this organism at the same time developed several other enzyms, 
viz., diastase, a proteolytic enzym, and a rennet, and that the 
cellulose remnant of the wall persisted in the presence of all 
of these. 
Heinz (1889) observed a similar disorganization of the tis- 
sues of hyacinth as a result of the invasion of the tissues by 
the organism he describes as Bacillus hyacinthus septicus. It 
is noteworthy that he found this organism incapable of lique- 
fying gelatin, in which it differs from the carrot-rot organism. 
Van Senus (1890) observed the solution of fibrous and paren- 
chymatous plant tissues. by bacteria. He attributes the action 
to B. amylobacter and a smaller kind acting conjointly, neither 
alone accomplishing it. His methods have been considered by 
later investigators too crude to insure reliable results.” 
Kramer (1891) isolated from decaying potatoes an aerobic 
spore-forming bacillus capable of dissolving the intercellular 
substance of potato tissue, and of attacking the cellulose mem- 
brane also. 
Frank (1899) found dissociation of the cells of potato as a. 
result of the invasion of Micrococcus phytophthorus. The 
action of this organism likewise stopped short of the solution 
* Cf, Ometianski, 1902: 200. 
