BOTANY — ALLEN, DEAN. I 27 



devised and perfected, and the sizes of several cacti were taken and 

 carefully recorded, so that we shall have exact data regarding the 

 growth of these interesting desert forms. 



Dr. D. T. MacDougal has continued his observations upon soil 

 temperatures, and now has a series of instruments in action taking 

 records at the laboratory, at the New York Botanical Garden, and 

 at the Tropical Laboratory at Cinchona, Jamaica. 



Dr. MacDougal also made an examination of the Delta of the Rio 

 Colorado and adjacent deserts, the results of which are embodied in 

 a geographical paper now in press. 



Allen, Charles E., University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin. 

 Grant No. 159. Study of homologies of the gametophyte a?id sporo- 

 phytc, etc., at Bonn University, under Prof . Strasburger. $1,000. 



Abstract of Report. — The work was carried on in the laboratory of 

 Professor Strasburger at the University of Bonn, Germany. Four 

 weeks were also spent in the collection and preparation of material 

 at the zoological station, Naples. The more important results of 

 a first study were embodied in a paper entitled " Das Verhalten der 

 Kernsubstanzen wahrend der Synapsis in den Pollenmutterzellen von 

 Ljlium canadense," published in the " Jahrbiicher fur wissenschaft- 

 liche Botanik," Band 42, Heft 1. A second study of the nuclear 

 and cell divisions in the germination of the oospore of Coleochaete 

 resulted in the publication of " Die Keimung der Zygote bei Coleo- 

 chaete," in the " Berichte der Deutschen Botanischen Gesellschaft," 

 Band 23, Heft 7. 



The material of the Rhodophycese collected at Naples and another 

 collection of Spirogyra made during the summer will be used as 

 the basis for further stud}'. 



Dean, Arthur L. t Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Grant 

 No. 161. Investigation of the proteolytic enzymes of plants. $1,000. 

 Abstract of Report. — In the investigation of the proteolytic enzymes 

 of plants it was shown that these enzymes are present in a number of 

 plant tissues. The process of proteolysis in Phaseolus vulgaris was 

 made the subject of special study. It was demonstrated that the 

 germination of the seeds of this plant is accompanied by a cleavage 

 of the proteids present, though no tryptic enzyme occurs. An active 

 ereptic enzyme was found and preparations of it made and studied. 

 This enzyme was also found in the seedlings and in all tissues of the 

 adult plants. A quantitative comparison of the ereptic activity of 

 the various tissues showed that the roots contained the most enzyme 

 per unit of nitrogen. 



