The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-11
ANTS AND FLIES.
A Naturalist Proves How They Dis
tribute Yeasts and MoIds.
From the London Standard.

From the London Standard.
The part played by insects i'm the distri-
button of minute vegetable organisms has
been made the subject of an interesting
investigation by DIR. Amedo Berlese at
the Portici labora tory for agricultural
chemistry. That they do perform this
task, often a very mischievous one, has
long been known, but the professor, as
is shown in the current number of Ma
ture, has proved that, for good or evil,
they are more active than has been hith-
erto ascertained. Ants were the subjects
of his first experiments. He had frequent
ly detected the cells Of two alcoholic
yeasts hidden in the assures of the bark
on the trunks of both fruit and forest
trees These he suspected to have been
transported by the ants, which were con-
stantly travelling up and down the
trunks, and it seemed likely that flies
might cooperate in the work First, he
put the question to the ants. He col
Iected large number of a species which
is very common in vineyards. They were
allowed access to punches of grapes
which had been carefully sterilized and
afterward placed under conditions that
prevented the possibility of any introduce
ton Of mods or yeasts from the outer air.
The. result, in less than fortnight, was
that all the punches which the ants could
visit were abundantly infested with yeasts
had been preserved even for a much
longer time in sterilized vessels from
which the ants were excluded, had neither
molds nor yeasts nor bacteria on their
surface.
DR.. Berlese then turned his attention TO
the flies. His methods of inquisition, we
fear, would not be approved by those who
share Corporal Tobys view, and are mer-
ciful even to the housei1y and the blue
bottle. In fact, these torments of the hui
man race must have had a decidedly bad
time in the laboratory. The first expert
ment however, was simple and humane.
A number of bits of sterilized meat were
set out on a terrace, some of them COW
cred by wire gauze, others accessible to the
flies. After two hours exposure to them
and thirteen in the air, yeasts were found
to be much more abundant in the former;
indeed, DR.. Berese estimates that the
quantity Of yeasts conveyed by flies is
about twentysiX times is great as Is
brought by the air Similar experiments
were made with grapes, and with similar
results 'Fhe next point to settle was the
precise way in which the transport was eff
fected II was first ascertained that fer
ments were often more frequent in the
bodies of flies, than on their legs and feet;
next. cells similar to those of yeast were
detected in the excreta. IT remained then,
TO study the passage Of these cells through
the digestive apparatus of the insect.
Common bluebottles, or meat flies, were
selected for this purpose, and large num-
Der of experiments were made on them;
but some other flies and cellar midgets
were also tested.
1t was proved in all cases that when
the flies were fed with sterilized material,
the excreta contained no yeasts; but when
they had a diet of pure cultures OF sundry
yeasts, the excreta soon contained in
great quantities the yeasts that were in
the food. These cells were also not dead