486 SCIENCE PROGRESS. 



the necessity of the occurrence of starch as an intermediate 

 product. He takes the matter somewhat further by show- 

 ing that the utilisation of oily reserves is attended by 

 oxidative products, Co. 2 being evolved during the whole 

 period. Godlewski (50) shows that the absorption of 

 oxygen is about equal to the evolution of Co 2 till the radicle 

 protrudes from the seed, and that then it increases till it is 

 in excess of the latter interchange, remaining so as long 

 as there is fat or oil in the germinating seed. 



These experiments point to the utilisation of the oily 

 reserves being due to a series of changes much more 

 complex than the simple hydrolysis of starch or splitting 

 up of proteid. 



The writer in 1890 published the results of some investi- 

 gations into the germination of the castor-oil seed (51), in 

 which he endeavoured to trace the course of events during 

 the whole time of germination up to the time where the 

 albumin was entirely used up. Starting from the results 

 already described, and noting incidentally Schulzenberger's 

 (52) suggestion of a fat splitting enzyme as probably present, 

 the following course of events was found to be probable. 

 The oil is by a ferment split up into fatty acid and glycerine ; 

 the ferment can be isolated from the germinating seeds and 

 can be made to act upon an emulsion of the oil in an 

 artificial digestion apparatus, giving sufficient quantity of 

 both these products for satisfactory identification. The 

 glycerine cannot be detected in the cells of the tissue, 

 disappearing as fast as formed. The fatty acid can be 

 readily extracted, being taken up freely by dilute alkalis. 

 The quantity increases up to about the fourth or fifth day, 

 then gradually diminishes as the antecedent oil gets less 

 and less in amount till they both disappear, the fatty acid 

 being however a little longer in evidence. 



At this point enzyme action stops ; the decompositions 

 initiated by it, however, go on. The disappearance of the 

 glycerine is attended by a constant appearance of sugar, 

 and it is probable that the latter is the form in which this 

 moiety of the oil is made available for nutrition. Many 

 observers have shown the close relations between glycerine 



