AGEICULTURAL CHEMISTRY — AGROTECHNY. 805 



arginiu, and lysin fractions were also obtained. The arginin fraction seemed to 

 contain several bases as well as trimetliylhistidin. Arginin was prepared with 

 much difficulty as a characteristic copper salt. From the lysin fraction cadav- 

 erin (pentamethylendiamiu), putrescin, and probably lysin were obtained. 



Some incomplete data on CantharcUu.'i cnharius and CratercUus cornucopioides 

 are reported. The quantitative results, however, show that with these 2 fungi 

 an autolyzate can also be obtained which contains many nonprotein nitrogenous 

 bodies. 



On the basis of the results rei)orted it is assumed that as a result of autolysis 

 most of the proteins contained in fungi are split into simple crystalline cleavage 

 products and also into higher complexes, peptones, and polypeptids. The 

 authors intend to Isolate various enzyms from the fungi described, and it is 

 believed that the enzyms present in fungi produce from the protein substances 

 niaterials from which some of the phanerogamic plants obtain their nourish- 

 ment. Other products formed by the same agency are probably absorbed by 

 the humin substances present in the soil. 



About the behavior of fung-i (Aspergillus niger and Penicillium crusta- 

 ceum) toward phytin, M. A. Jegoboff {Hoppe-Seylcr's ZUchr. Physiol. Chem., 

 82 (1912), Xo. 3-Jf, pp. 231-242).— A. nigcr and P. crustaceum, when grown in 

 .solutions of phytin previously sterilized, cleave the latter with the production 

 of inorganic phosphoric acid. No cleavage was noted when the sterile phytin 

 solution was incubated alone. It was not possible to determine whether the 

 fungi assimilated the phosphoric acid directly or Indirectly, except to say that 

 the phytin is a good source of phosphorus for these fungi. 



The best development of the fungi was on the peptone and saccharose solu- 

 tion, or on either saccharose or glycerin. Peptone alone gave relatively unsatis- 

 factory results. When various phytin preparations were compared, no differ- 

 ences were noted with the exception of hemp phytin, which gave a low yield. 



Citric acid formation from, glycerin by fungi, C. Wehmer {Chem. Ztg., 

 37 {1913), Ko. 4, pp. 37-30).— Jt was found, in addition to the fact that glycerin 

 serves as a source of carbon for the citromyces, that it may also be changed 

 into citric acid. Calcium citrate was prepared to quite an extent from a culture 

 fluid which contained, besides glycerin and the fungus, ammonium nitrate, 

 potassium phosphate, and magnesium sulphate. The inoculations were made 

 with spores from the fungus obtained from 2 sources, (a) isolated from an 

 oxalic acid solution, and (b) was found in a fluid containing 0.5 per cent of 

 free sulphuric acid and used for the hydrolysis of cotton. No acidification of 

 the medium (free acid) takes place during the process, even when no calcium 

 carbonate is present. The same is true when either sucrose, lactose, mannit, 

 xylose, or arabinose displace the glycerin in the culture medium. In the case 

 of glycerin other substances are formed besides citric acid, some of which 

 reduce Fehling's solution. 



The phenomenon whereby a fungus growing in a certain medium will split 

 off appreciable amounts of citric acid when calcium is added still needs to be 

 explained. 



In addition to the cultural substances mentioned above, beer wort (16** B.), 

 peptone with and without mineral substances, and alcohol in 5 and 10 per cent 

 concentrations were tested. The two first-named substances were satisfactory 

 while alcohol was toxic, even in a concentration of 5 per cent. 



Amygdalase and amygdalinase in Aspergillus niger (Sterigmatocystis 

 nigra), and several similar hypomycetes, H. Javillieb and Mme. H. Tcher- 

 NOROUTSKY (Bid. Sci. Pharmacol., 20 {1913), No. S, pp. 132-140, fig. 1; abs. in 

 Chem. Al)s., 7 (1913), No. IS, pp. 2228, 2229).— The optimum acidity of the 

 media for these enzyms is either 0.001 normal to helianthiu, or neutral, and the 



