SO STORRS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 
THE FLORA OF CAMEMBERT CHEESE. 
Although a considerable variety of molds appeared in cul- 
tures from Camembert cheeses, a list of possibly twenty species 
would include those which were often found. Among these 
there are perhaps six species of Penicillium, two or three of 
Aspergillus, Oidium lactis, Cladosporium herbarum, one or 
two of Mucor, one or more of Fusarium, Monilia candida and © 
two species perhaps related to it, with the incidental occurrence 
of Acrostalagmus cinnabarinus, a Cephalosporium, various 
species of Alternaria and Stysanus. Besides these, yeasts in 
large numbers and considerable variety are found in many 
cases. 
THE CAMEMBERT PENICILLIUM AND THE OIDIUM LACTIS. 
The comparison of the results of culture with comparative 
studies of the surfaces of different brands of cheese showed 
that one species of Penicillium was present upon every Camem- 
bert cheese examined. In partially ripened cheeses this mold 
often covered the larger part of the surface. We shall call 
this the Camembert Penicillium or the Camembert mold. ‘This 
species develops a large and characteristic growth of aerial 
mycelium in addition to a densely felted mass of threads which 
penetrate the outer one or two millimeters of the surface of 
the cheese, and which largely constitute the rind. In all ex- 
cept a few very old cheeses, which were almost covered with 
red slime of bacterial origin, it was readily seen to be the domi- 
nant species upon the surface. Similarly, cultural data showed 
Oidium (Oospora) lactis to be abundant upon every brand of 
Camembert. This mold is practically indistinguishable upon 
the surface by its characters except under very favorable con- 
ditions, and at best its recognition, even with a hand lens, is 
not often certain. Mycelium of this fungus develops only in 
very moist substrata and is usually entirely submerged. Only 
part of its chains of conidia even rise above the surface. In 
old and very ripe cheese when the rind is covered with yeasts 
and bacteria it is often difficult, under the microscope, to find 
the spores of Oidium. In such cases, unless one is familiar 
with the peculiar smell associated with its action, he must 
depend entirely upon the culture for evidence of its presence. 

