This paper is an extension to another organism of the line of experimentation applied to Bacillus megaterium QM B1551 in the preceding paper (RODE and FoSTEI~ 1962b). The two strains represent the major bacterial spore types in respect to the so-called "requirements" for germination (MURtCELL 1961). Strain QM B1551 belongs to the group which responds to glucose or mannose (ttYATT and LEVI~SO~ 1961 ; RODE and FOSTEI~ 1962b). The second organism, Bac. megaterium Texas, represents the group in which germination is initiated best by a mixture of L-alanine and a riboside (adenosine or inosine) (RODE and FOSTEI~ 1961b).
Our preceding paper (RODE and FOSTER 1962b) demonstrated, however, that glucose is not maximally active without suitable salts, and that minute amounts of impurities enhance its activity for spores of strain QM B1551. Many individual inorganic salts could substitute for glucose in evoking prompt germination. The term "ionic germination" was proposed for this situation. In the case of weakly effective salts, the presence of glucose was, nevertheless, decidedly augmentative on germination. The present work examines the effects of inorganic and organic salts on the Texas strain, especially as regards the augmentation of germination by organic compounds.