SEEDED FRUITS IN THE PERSIMMON 111 



tringency to the taste is markedly developed in the course of a 

 minute or so, the first impression being of entire non-astringency. 



Region d was completely and promptly astringent. The 

 X-cellulose was in an entirely uncoagulated condition, and when 

 escaping from cells whose walls were broken, did so in a gushing 

 stream, due to its great hydratation and unlimited solubiHty. 

 The diffusion of tannin was correspondingly prompt and extensive. 

 If temporary syneresis was induced in the outer zone of the tan- 

 nin mass by means of a suitable reagent (alcohol, e.g.), the in- 

 ternal pressure would cause the reduction of free inner surfaces 

 so that the canals^ would be broken into a series of globular spaces, 

 thus demonstrating the soft and yielding character of the X-cel- 

 lulose, an emulsion colloid. 



In the region of the bruise (e in the figure) the tissues were soft 

 and watery, the intercellular spaces were partly filled with the 

 X-cellulose extruded from broken tannin cells by the pressures 

 which caused the bruise, and extra-cellular precipitation mem- 

 branes had occurred, while some tannin-masses showed complete 

 syneresis. While the tissues were still astringent the change 

 toward non-astringency has proceeded at different rates in the 

 various elements. 



It will be seen from the foregoing that the region of non-astrin- 

 gency is not coextensive with that of the red-coloured tissues, from 

 which the obvious inference may be drawn that the red colora- 

 tion is a consequence of changes leading to non-astringency and 

 itself not the cause of it. The condition of coagulation of the 

 X-cellulose content of the tannin-masses, if not indeed the death 

 of the tannin-cell, is a condition antecedent to that when oxida- 

 tion of the tannin occurs, so that the non-astringency of seeded 

 fruits is the result of the same changes which occur in non-seeded 

 fruits, but induced at an earlier stage of development. 



The early death of a certain proportion of the tannin cells is 

 responsible for at least one other disturbance in the usual se- 

 quence of events. The softening of the fruit is due, as is well 

 known, to the hydrolysis of the intercellular pectose bodies. It 



* Lloyd, F. E. /. c. 



