12 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



mon or kaki tree {Diospyros kaki). This juice is used for the preservation of fish 

 nets and lines, and as an application to packing papers, making them less penetrable 

 to moisture, to tubs and wooden vessels, etc. There are two well-known varieties 

 of kaki in Japan. In one the fruit l>ecomes sweet when ripened, while the other 

 remains astringent and is very rich in tannin, yielding a great quantity of the juice 

 desirable for making kaki-sliibu. When the fruit of this variety is fully grown, 

 it is crushed and mixed with water, the mixture being allowed to remain 3 or 4 

 days in large tubs, when a kind of fermentation sets in, accomi^anied by the evolution 

 of gas. The juice is generally prepared in August and may be applied fresh or after 

 standing for 2 or 3 years. In contact with the air a film is formed over the surface, 

 probably by oxidation. The solution leaves on evaporation an insoluble film that 

 fills the pores of fibers and woods, diminishing their water-holding capacity and 

 preventing the entrance of destructive fungi. The chemical properties of this mate- 

 rial are described, the most characteristic constituent seeming to be a kind of tannin 

 which has some abnormal properties. Tannin determinations have been made, and 

 both gallotannic and quercitannic acids have l;)een found present, constituting a large 

 percentage of the dry matter. The industrial value of kaki-shibu, it is claimed, is due 

 to the tannin, which differs from other tannins in being insoluble in water and alcohol, 

 and soluble in dilute acids. 



On the formation of asparagin in the metabolism of shoots, U. Suzuki 

 {Bui. Col. Agr. Imp. Univ. Tokyo, 4 {1902), No. 5, pp. 351-356). — While the various 

 amido-compounds formed from protein during the germination process disappear 

 gradually, with the further development of the shoots, the asparagin is said to 

 increase to a certain phase, after which it also disapjiears. The amount of carbohy- 

 drates present in the seed seems to bear a direct relationship to the disappearance 

 of the asparagin. With seeds rich in protein the accumulation of asparagin is greater. 

 The author conducted a series of experiments with barley and soy-bean shoots which 

 seem to confirm the previous observations of Palladin that asj^aragin must be con- 

 sidered as a synthetic product formed with the aid of an oxidation process, after 

 partial destruction of the primary amido-compounds. In etiolated shoots the 

 decomposition of protein continues in the absence of oxygen as well as in its presence. 

 This is in accordance with what is known as the action of enzyms. A very decided 

 difference in the production of asparagin is noticeable, there being no increase in the 

 absence of oxygen, but only in its presence. 



The amount of soluble albumin in different parts of plants, H. Uno {Bui. 

 Col. Agr. Imp. I'niv. Tokyo, 4 {1902), No. 5, pj>. S91-S9S). — A report is given of 

 studies of the different parts of plants for albumin, the investigations hitherto 

 reported being mostly of seeds. Quantitative determinations were made of the roots, 

 leaves, and flowers of rape, radish, cabbage, flax, barley, orchard grass, buckwheat. 

 Astragalus, beans, peas, clover, Lathyrus, and potatoes. In most cases the leaves 

 were found to contain the most soluble albumin. In leguminous plants, however, 

 the greatest amount was present in the roots. This is doubtless due to the presence 

 of tubercles upon the roots, the nodules not having been removed before the juice 

 was expressed. In general, the stalks of the plants contain less soluble albumin than 

 the roots. The influence of the flowering stage of the plant on the content of soluble 

 albumin was investigated; but further studies will be required before general conclu- 

 sions can be drawn. 



On the juice of the pseudotrunk of Musa basjoo in winter time, S. Sawa 

 {Bui. Col. Agr. Imp. Univ. Tokyo, 4 {1902), No. 5, pp. 399-401) .—According to the 

 author, banana plants grown in central Japan lose their leaves during the cold 

 months, and there remains only the pseudotrunk, the interior of which seems to be 

 sufficiently protected against the freezing temperature of the cold nights by the dead 

 part surrounding it. This inner portion is subjected to a period of rest of about 4 

 months, and the investigations here reported were conducted to ascertain whether 



