914 



The iuitlior's invostijrations on this sii]>jert arc to be coTitiniiefl* 

 It is lutpcd to further ix'ifect the method of fnrfnrol (h'teriiiiii;itioii,aii(l 

 to };et light on the form and composition of the mother substance of 

 arabinose aiul xylose in plants. 



The occurrence of guanidin in plants. E. Schulze ( Bcr. d. dcut. 

 them, (rfs., :J5 (/<s.'y^-'), ^>. G-JSj. — According' to tlie investijiations of the 

 author, <jiianidin occurs in etiohited vetch phmtlets. Vetch ]>lanth'ts 

 which had jjrown for .'i weeks in tlie <hirk were dried, ;:ionnd. and 

 extracted with warm 02 per cent ah-ohol. The alcohol was distille«l otf, 

 the residue treated with water, tannic acid added to the cloudy solution, 

 and then acetate of lead. The material was then filtered, the lead 

 removed, with suli>liuric aci<l,and jdiospho tungstic acid solution ;idded, 

 which gave a heavy precipitate. This was filtered ofl". washe<l with 

 dilute sul|)liuri<' acid, dried between filter paper, and tluMi treated 

 with cold milk of lime. The filtered alkaline solution was tlien tn-ated 

 with carbonic aciil. tiltered, neutralized as nearly as possible with nitric 

 acid and then cva]nuatcd by gentle heat to a thin siru]K Out of this 

 crystals separated after standing sonu' time, wliich were dissolved in 

 hot 95 per cent alcohol, and which were recovere<l by evajtoration of the 

 alcohol and recrystalli/.ation from an a(|Ucons soluti<Mi. The product 

 was found to be nitrate of guani<lin. The yield was very small, (»nly 1 

 gram of guanidin nitrate being secured from .i kg. of dried vetch plant- 

 lets. Xo guanidin could be fouud iu seeds of vetch which had not 

 sprouted. 



Concerning tubercles on the roots of leguminous plants, J. 

 Jjcichmsinn. (('ill 1 1 II I hi. /. iii/r. ('Inin.^ .''>,/;/*.>•)'/"-> W). — Atlention has 

 hetii callfd to a |>aper on the above subject i)ublisln'd by the author in 

 IS'tS in Ldiidtr. Mittrihnufni, Zritxch. drr kihiif/l. Iiiilirrni hmdir. Lrhrnu- 

 stalf, r/c, zn PopprlHdiirf. The article st'cms until recently t(» have been 

 overlooked, but is n'luinted in full at the above citation. The author 

 first observed tubercles (»u tin* roots of the white clover. Latei- he 

 examinc^d a large number of pai)ilionaceous jilants and gave a list of 

 between Wand .■>() species bearing root tubercles. lie also ol>serve(l 

 them on Arac'm strirtn, .\. hixpUlissimn, A. lophfiiitlin. and .1. lati/oliit. 

 In the case of diflerent species they occurred on different parts of the 

 root, but were in every <'ase situatc(l on the true root, and were not 

 regarded as uKMlilied branches of the rhi/.omr. They difl'ered as to the 

 depth at which they were located beneath the surface, being in some 

 instances near the surface and in (»thers several feet below it. The form, 

 size, and number of the tubercles are minutely described. Trials were 

 made of growing yellow lupine in boxes filled with ditVeient kinds of 

 soil, from light sandy to lu>avy clayey loam. Theresults of these trials 

 indicate the sandy and san<ly loam soils to be far better adapt<'<l to the 

 growth of yellow luiiine and to the formation of loot tubercles than 

 heavier soils or those containing consideral)Ie lime. Plants grew vigor- 

 ously in rich, peaty, and humus soils, but producetl lu) tubercles. 



