MOLD

or Mould, the common name for several varieties of minute, thread-like fungi which reproduce themselves by spores (seed dust). They grow on almost anything that ix moist or damp and secluded from direct light-rays, but they fourish best on soft articles, such as bread, cheese, and fruits, which permit the threads to strike down into them. On harder substances, such as leather, they achieve only a stunted growth and are then popularly known as ‘‘muldew.’? Dampne . warmth, and see los i on being the principal incentives to their growth, the best preventives are dryne , low temperature, and good air circulation. Molds especially favor acid foods, hence their predilection for many fruits and the fact that even pickles put up in strong vinegar will mold if exposed to the air, though they are, until “‘moldy,’’ entirely exempt from the growth of either veasts or bacteria. Relatively dry foods, as flour and crackers, kept in a dry temperature, afford no soil for molds —but any moisture in the air will speedily render them liable to invasion. Special varicties of mold are used in the ripening of a number of famous cheeses. Int otherwise they are never employed in the manufacture or preparation of food. Their propagation and growth—as of all micro-organisms—should always in any event be prevented by retailers and in the household. During their first growth, molds are generally white, soft, and fluffy. As they develop and their threads stretch and spread down through the article in which they have taken root, the surface and other parts most affected soon present a dense ma . When they commence to ‘‘fruit’’ and form seeds, the surface is changed to various colors blue, brown, white, ete.—the most common being the bluish-green of the Blue Mold which particularly affects bread, cheese, and other foods, as well as many other articles. If allowed to continue its growth, mold destroys the food by its own consumption and with the aid of yeasts and bacteria, but in its early stages it does not render it unwholesome. The appearance of decay and the musty smell are unpleasant to the eve and nose, but mold has not the putrefactive qualities of bacterial life, and if the affected part is removed before the growth has continued too long and the remainder is subjected to baking or boiling, according to individual cireumstances, the food can often be saved for use. Mold spore is present everywhere. Moderately dry food can be saved from its growth by the exercise of proper care, unle the climate or surroundings are especially damp, but articles such as fruits, which are inherently moist and which cannot be frozen without injury, are very difficult to hold in a raw condition for any considerable length of time. Cold storage is the only sure protection, and then in many cases for only a limited term.