670 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



is always found abundantly in the colourless parenchyme of the cortex 

 and of the pith, both in the branches and in the root. In the meso- 

 phyll and epiderm of the leaf it occurs only in traces ; in the leaves it 

 is found almost exclusively in the vascular bundles or their sheaths. 

 In bleached leaves phosphorus occurs also abundantly in the colourless 

 mesophyll. It is found, although in small quantities, in ripe seeds, 

 and in all parts of the flower with the exception of the pollen. The 

 source of the phosphorus is the organic compounds of phosphorus in 

 the soil, which are converted by the plant into phosphates ; and this 

 takes place in the seedling plant rather than in the cotyledons. The 

 assimilation of phosphates takes place chiefly in the leaves. Among 

 the lower plants phosphorus was found in Atrichum, Funaria, Mar- 

 cliantia, Spirogyra, Cladophora, Nostoc, and Phormidium ; in the Hymeno- 

 mycetes only in the stipes. 



Influence of Injury to the Tissues on the Production of Proteids.* — 

 By cutting up, and otherwise injuring, onion bulbs, A. Hettlinger shows 

 that the wounding of the tissues of plants has a tendency to increase 

 the amount of proteid substances in the plant. 



Germination of Phoenix canariensis.f — E. Bourquelot and H. Heris- 

 sey find, during the germination of the seeds of this palm, a soluble 

 ferment capable of hydrolysing the mannoses of the endosperm, with 

 production of mannose. This ferment penetrates into the endosperm, 

 at least into those portions of it which are in contact with the cotyle- 

 don. The mannose is used up as it is formed. 



Enzymes of Bacteria and Moulds. | — Prof. C. Eijkmann divides 

 microbic enzymes into four classes, viz. those which split up casein, 

 hsemolytic, amylolytic or diastatic, and fat-splitting or lipases. Con- 

 trary to the usually accepted notion, the author finds that enzymes 

 which are colloid bodies are diffusible through colloids. This holds 

 true not only for maltase and for microbic enzymes, but also for enzymes 

 of animal origin. Thus, if carmin-fibrin be enclosed in agar and im- 

 mersed in gastric juice, it is digested ; while the result is negative if a 

 control experiment be made with hydrochloric acid. The penetration 

 of ptyalin is provable in a similar way. If a drop of saliva be placed 

 on a starch-agar plate, the medium in the vicinity is soon cleared up. 

 That the starch is decomposed can be proved by the aid of dilute 

 iodine solution. The experiment also succeeds even when the drop of 

 saliva is separated from the starchy layer by a starch-free agar layer. 

 When a little gelatin solution is placed on an agar plate, it is soon 

 absorbed, provided that a suitable temperature be maintained. 



The presence of the caseases was demonstrated on a medium com- 

 posed of buttermilk and agar. Blood-agar was used for the hemolytic 

 experiments, and starch-agar for the amylases. For the lipases a thin 

 layer of tallow was spread on the bottom of a Petri capsule, and upon 

 this a layer of agar. The experiments with lipases showed that the 

 fat underwent saponification, a calcium-soap being first formed. The 

 calcium was afterwards replaced by sodium, and finally by ammonium. 



* Rev. Gen. de Bot. (Bormior), xiii. (1901) pp. 248-50. 



t Comptee Rendus, cxxxiii. (1901) pp. 302-4. 



j Centralbl. Bakt., 1" Abt., xxix. (1901) pp. 841-8. 



