Am.  Jour.  Pharm.\ 
March,  1898.  J 
Diastatic  Fungi. 
139 
according  to  the  species  of  plant  used.  This  product  is  carefully 
dried  and  preserved.  The  matured  spores  of  the  plant  may  be  sepa- 
rated from  the  mass  by  shaking,  or  sifting,  and  then  can  be  pre- 
served indefinitely.  The  product  thus  obtained  is  called  Taka- 
Moyashi,  and  is  used  as  the  seed  spore  in  the  manufacture  of  dias- 
tatic substances. 
To  produce  diastatic  substances  for  commercial  purposes,  wheat 
Fig.  2. — Black  Fungus — Non-diastatic. 
bran  is  first  moistened  with  water  and  then  thoroughly  steamed. 
After  the  mass  is  cooled  down  below  400  C,  a  small  quantity  of 
Taka-Moyashi  is  added  and  thoroughly  mixed.  The  mass  is  then 
taken  into  a  growing-room  similar  to  that  of  a  malt-floor,  and 
spread  in  a  layer  varying  from  one  to  two  inches  in  thickness.  The 
temperature  of  the  room  is  kept  at  about  25 0  C,  and  the  humidity 
at  above  80  per  cent.  Inside  of  twenty-four  hours  the  fungus 
shows  its  growth,  and  the   diastatic  strength  of   the   mass  will 
