Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-10-05

YEAST UNDER THE MIcRosCoPE.-Th fol-
lowing interesting article is copied from the
Western Rural:
The familiar word yeast is surely not a repre-
sentaton of anything curious to the common
mind. Every hOuSekeeper knows what it is and
how to use it. Even the process of its manufac-
ture IS well known. Neither is the substance
new Thousands of years ago, we know leayen,
or yeast, was used as it is now, and that no day
has since dawned upon the world without the
use of the same article. Thousands upon thou
sands of eyes have gazed upon it, while sensitive
hands in equal numbers have been mbedded in
the waXy material which served to perpetuate
the aforesaid yeast. Why, then, after all, at
tempt to write anything new about so common
thingP Well, do not propose to inform those
much better posted than myself how to make
good bread, much less how to secure at all times
without troubling the baker-a good article
Of yeast The fact is, something new has been
found out by this same old-fashiOued yeast
which is curious and wonderful enough
Come, let us see the inside of the matter.
Take little yeast in active operation, and
spread it very thinly over small piece of glass,
placing this under good microscope. POSSIBLY
we first notice some round black dots of various
sizes with apparent openings in the centre
These are nothing more or less than bubbles of
air. Try again. DO you see other round bodies
not having so dark a ring, varying in size to be
sure, but always Small2 See here they are
linked together like chain. One or two are no.
er surface. Look carefully and note the increase
in size Of these smaller ones. Slowly, but as
| steadily as the hands upon the dial, they grow,
MI the size of the largest is attained then other
| little ones are protruded from those last formed
| Again and again the process is repeated, until
| We discover the origin of the chain-like forms
| before observed. Something is actually grow
| ing in the thickened fluid we spread upon the
| glass. We see that one little cell may give rise
| 10 another, and this to a third, and so on with
/ ont and RrpalE n he OH Cc
| piece becomes nucleus for the production of
new ones; so that, though the actual growth
| of an individual cell is slow, the whole
/ number of cells simultaneously producing 9TH
ers like themselves, may and do increase the
mass very rapidly. These microscopic cells
| round and nearly transparent becoming linked
| together by their manner OF growth, are really
| yeast. This strange but undoubted growth is
wonder number one. 1t explains why our rood
housewives succeed so well by keeping little
Of the old material for the next mornings pan.
cakes. Like everything else that grows, the
| yeast must have some of its own kind to start
| with.
Again, let us put some of the Shiny substance
formed IN vinegar, upon our glass, and look as
carefully as before. How strangel Our little
cells building out as before, though somewhat
changed IN color, are there. Can it be that this
mother Is the same as yeast? If so, this is
wonder number two.
We place upon the glass little fermentiug
| 49,. C''h Nc hCllcNS our eyeSf Our OLD ac-
quantance appears! Little bodies you are
smaller than ever now: but here you certainly
are, round as ever, budding and linking out as
larry as IN our hrSt experiment. Wonder num-
Der three. Yeast, mother fynegar, and the fer.
ment OF Deer-who would have imagined they
were the same thing?
Let us 20 back TO our first material Pit A
little of this same yeast, or the dough with
which the yeast has been mixed away for n
few hours or days, in a damp place-the cellal
will do, and if dark, so much the better Nov
look and note the little fuZz of white mold coat
ing the surface. Carefully remove a little of til,
dough and mold to the microscope, and trac,
the development Of the yeast cells They hav
linked one TO another, stretching out till par
becomes exposed at the surface; then this par
throws up a slender halr-ke stalk, and branch
ing out like miniature tree, the tips becom
partitioned off, till each branch looks like
string OF small beads. When fully ripe til
string breaks up, aud the minute parts ar
waited away by the slightest breath of air Wit
extreme care, we scatter some of these same lii
, lie bodies in some freshly prepared -four am
pure water, and watch with the microscope til
l result Each grain puts out a little bud AM
2 produces-why, what? Yeast, mother of vine
gar, and terment of beeri Yes. and finally th
white mold again. Wonder number -four
! These four substances are only one and that
genuine plant, the seeds of which are produce,
| only in the mold state but which rapidlv renrc
duces itself in any Of its forms by bnddino
Botanists know the plant by the name nenjcj
ham gtdaeum 1t is one of the fungi.
, The New Haven people say that the recen