Such is the manner in which M. Trécul regards these changes. His is entirely a system of spontaneous generation, worked out into minutest detail, from the transformation of the albuminous substances to the formation of cells of the higher organisms, passing from the disintegration of the original substances to the formation of very fine granules, from these to the creation of active _bacteria_, which last, in their turn, become lactic ferment through the simple cessation of their faculty of moving and so on. We regard all this as purely imaginary. As a matter of fact, M. Trécul’s argument is based on the successive phenomena which manifest themselves in filtered wort “containing no granulations.” As M. Trécul reasons, this condition is a necessity, for he starts with the assertion that the albuminous substances in the wort become changed into granulations “that will develop into active bacteria.” This is another of M. Trécul’s illusions. No doubt we may filter hopped wort to almost perfect clearness, but we can only do this when it is cold. If we filter it warm, it will be bright as long as it remains warm, but as soon as cold it will appear turbid, in consequence of the great number of minute granules floating in it. Again, cold wort, however little it may be or has been in contact with air, undergoes a process of oxidation, and this oxidation, which acts principally on the colouring or resinous matter, causes a deposit of fine granules, the number of which is constantly increasing as oxidation goes on. These granules form an absolutely inert precipitate which, under no possible circumstances, can become transformed into active bacteria. Nothing can be easier than to prove this fact, by taking some of our two-necked flasks (Fig. 4) and preparing pure wort in them, by boiling, and then leaving it to cool and undergo the process of oxidation. In wort thus exposed to the air—the air being pure and free from germs—there will be formed a granular deposit, which will never become active or transform itself into any kind of organism whatever. We may also remark that whilst M. Trécul used wort in his experiments, he does not tell us if it was hopped or not. Had M. Trécul informed us that the facts which he described applied to unhopped wort, we should reply that a temperature of 60° C. or 70° C. (140° F. or 160° F.) is quite insufficient to kill the germs of bacteria existing in such a wort. Hopped wort should be heated to 70° C. or 75° C. (160° F. to 170° F.), that it may remain inert after having cooled down in contact with pure air; unhopped wort must be heated to about 90° C. (194° F.). In short, whatever may be the case, it must be evident to our readers that the active bacteria observed by M. Trécul existed in the form of germs in the wort that he used, and that what he observed was nothing more than the development of these germs when brought into contact with the air held in solution in the liquid.