Physiologie. 245 



instituted and also comparisons of the rate of capillary move- 

 ment in different soils. It also affords a simple means by vvhich 

 samples of soil water may be obtained for investigation. The 

 apparatus will, however, remove water from the soil only when 

 the iatter is comparatively moist. H. M. Richards (New York). 



King, F. H., An Artificia! Root for Inducing Capillary 

 Movement of Soil Moisture. Science, N. S. Vol. XX. 

 Nov. 18, 1904. p. 080—681.) 



Criticism of above, in which the writer doubts the con- 

 <:lusions of the previous paper. Adds that the apparatus should 

 be not withoLit use in obtain samples of soil water, although 

 the water would be probably somewhat more concentrated than 

 it is in the soil itself. H. M. Richards (New York). 



Davis, B. F. and A. R. Ling, Action of malt-diastase on 

 Potato - Star ch paste. (Proc. Chem. Soc. London. 

 Dec. 11, 1903.) 



When heated above 55" C. a Solution of diastase becomes 

 w^eaker in its action. That the alteration is a permanent one 

 is shown by the fact that when reprecipitated by alcohol the 

 enzyme still retains its altered properties, producing d-giucose 

 from starch-paste. 



The change appears to commence below 60" C. but it is 

 not complete at this temperature. The maximum production 

 of d-glucose is given by diastase which has been heated in 

 Solution to 68 — 70" for 15 to 30 minutes. The quantity of 

 d-glucose produced does not in any case exceed about 12"/o 

 of the total products of hydrolysis and it tends to disappear if 

 these products are kept in contact with the enzyme at 55" C. 



E. Drabble (London). 



GOLA, G., Lo zolfo e i suoi composti nell' econom. ia 

 delle plante. Contrib. 111. (Malpighia. Vol. XVIII. 1904. 

 p. 467—482.) 



En poursuivant ses recherches sur les composes du soufre 

 dans les vegetaux (voy. Bot. Centralbl. Bd. XCIII. p. 430), 

 l'auteur en resume de ia fa9on suivante les resultats: 



Dans les embryons et dans les tissus de reserve desgraines, 

 on trouve des substances contenant du soufre faiblement combine 

 ä l'etat de sulphydrile de nature analogue ä la cisteine. Ces 

 substances, sans etre propres ä des tissus ou organes speciaux, 

 sont en rapport etroit, topographique et quantitatif avec les 

 albuminoYdes; elles varient dans leur Realisation de la meme 

 maniere que les substances carbonees ou azotees contenues 

 dans les reserves des graines. 



Pendant la germination des graines ä cotyledons epais, 

 les substances azotees ä soufre sont les premieres ä quitter les 



