FERMENTATION BACTERIOLOGY. 1051 



salicin and for amylase on starch or dextrin. The rapidity of inversion for iuvertin, 

 emulsin, and amylase is proportional to the quantity of the ferment present. The 

 addition of invert sugar to a mixture of saccharose and invertin cliecks the action of 

 the diastase, and this is believed to be due to the levulose which is contained in the 

 invert sugar. AVheu a certain quantity of saligcnin and glucose is added to salicin 

 and emulsin the rapidity of inversion is checked in proportion as the amount of 

 salicin is reduced. In a similar way a mixture of starch and amylase reduces the 

 hydrolysis of starch. If the inversion of saccharose by invertin be carefully followed 

 through, the reaction will be found to obey the same laws as those governing the 

 inversion by acids. In the case of inversion of saccharose the action is more rapid 

 than that l)y acids, and the hydrolysis of salicin by emulsion takes place more slowly. 

 A theoretical discussion is given of the action of these different ferments. 



Proteolytic enzyms in plants, S. H. Vines {Ann. Bol., 17 {190S), Xo. do, pp. 

 287-264)- — Since the publication of the author's paper on tryptophane (E. S. R., 14, 

 p. 335) he has continued his observations on the distribution of proteolytic ferments 

 in plants. There appear, from direct and indirect evidence, to be enzj-ms capal)le 

 of digesting proteids in certain algae, some fungi, and various flowering plants. In 

 all cases the process involves the peptonization of the more complex proteids and 

 the proteolysis of the simpler ones. The author's investigations were made with 

 the proteids found normally in the tissues of the plant or upon the Witte-peptone, the 

 ol)ject sought being a proteolytic enzym and not a hydrolyzing one. The color test 

 for tryi)tophane was employed as in the previous investigations, and a large nund)er 

 of fungi, seeds, fruits, latex-bearing plants, stems, leaves, bulbs, tubers, and roots 

 were examined. He found ti-yptophane present in the expres.sed juice or watery 

 extracts of banana, melon, ripe cucumber (l)ut not in the green one), vegetable mar- 

 row, tomato, onion bulb, and turnip root, but not in the juice of the orange, apple, 

 or grape, nor in the extracts of tubers of potato and Jerusalem artichoke, or green 

 peas, wheat seedlings, or any shoots or leaves examined. The substance has also 

 been found in the milk of cocoanut, in extracts made from bean and pea seedlings, 

 but not in seedlings of maize apart from the seed nor in asparagus, potato, or Jeru- 

 salem artichoke shoots, although it was found present in the potato shoots after they 

 had turned green as the result of exposure to light. In the case of the fruits the 

 author believes that tryptophane is certainly associated with the process of ripening 

 and in the case of seedlings with the presence of a supply of reserve proteids. 



In summarizing his results, it is claimed that the juices or tissues of various parts 

 of plants act upon proteids so as to give rise to substances having a reaction similar 

 to that of tryptophane. So far the author has been unable to isolate the substance, 

 but he concludes that from the reaction shown by his experiments there is such a 

 chemical substance as tryptophane. The experiments cited above are held to indi- 

 cate that the vegetable substances showed the effect of proteolysis, which is to be 

 ascribed to a proteolytic- enzym contained in the juices or tissues themselves. The 

 distribution of this substance in various orders of plants is briefly sunnnarized, and 

 the author emphasizes the fact that the results given in his paper must be taken as 

 applied only to the particular season of the year during which the experiments were 

 performed. 



The growth and reproduction of Amylomyces rouxii, J. Tirqiet {Compt. 

 Rend. Acad. Sn. Paris, 135 {1902), No. 21, jrp. 912-915).— The results of investigation 

 on the growth and reproduction of the fungus commonly known as Chinese yeast is 

 reported. The author reports that this fungus possesses not only an asexual method 

 of reproduction, but forms spores in the myeelial filaments. These spores are car- 

 ried at the ends of the filaments, the mode of production being similar to that in 

 iMucor. So far aa his cultures are concerned, the author did not observe the forma- 

 tion of any zygospores. From its mode of growth and asexual reproduction he 

 believes that Amylomyces rouxii ought to be include<l in the genus ISlucor and placed 

 near M. racemosns.. 



