128 HEPBURN— BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF 



genera : Sarracenia, DarUngtonia, and H eliamphora}^ The follow- 

 ing experiments were made on the pitchers of two species of Sarra- 

 cenia — flava and minor — by Frank M. Jones, E. Quintard St. John, 

 and the author, and are mentioned in this place, since they indicate 

 that the digestive action in the pitchers of Sarracenia is likewise due 

 to a proteolytic enzyme. 



Liquor was obtained from unopened pitchers of Sarracenia 

 flava, growing in their native habitat, and was used in test-tube ex- 

 periments. The liquor digested edestan in the presence of very 

 dilute (less than o.i per cent.) hydrochloric acid, and rapidly di- 

 gested carmine fibrin — swollen or unswollen — in the presence of 

 0.2 per cent, hydrochloric acid, 0.2 per cent, of trikresol being used 

 as a bactericide. Liquor was also obtained from open pitchers ; it 

 had been diluted by rain water, but rapidly digested carmine fibrin 

 in the presence of hydrochloric acid and trikresol, the concentration 

 of these reagents being that just stated. 



By means of culture experiments, it was determined that the 

 contents of unopened pitchers of Sarracenia flava and Sarracenia 

 minor {Sarracenia variolaris) were bacteriologically sterile. 



The contents of opened pitchers of these species, which con- 

 tained insect remains, were also studied bacteriologically. The test 

 for the liquefaction of gelatin was conducted as directed by Rivas ;^* 

 the medium was liquefied ; and both motile and non-motile rod-like 

 microorganisms were recovered from the resulting cultures. The 

 contents of these pitchers were also plated on certain of the special 

 agar media described in the preceding pages. The bacteria grew 

 on casein agar and on protein (from aleuronat) agar, ind digested 

 these proteins, but at an exceedingly slow rate. The bacteria also 

 grew on the various rosolic acid agars — glycocoll, acetamide, as- 

 paragin, and ammonium lactate — changing the reaction of the me- 

 dium to alkaline, and producing an odor of ammonia or of bases ; 

 on prolonged incubation the reaction changed to acid. Organisms 

 of the colon-aerogenes group were found to be present by their 

 reaction with lactose bile salt bouillon. 



13 Macfarlane, Engler's Pflanzenreich, 1908; IV., no, Sarraceniacese, 34 

 Heft; and IV., in, Nepenthacese, 36 Heft. 



" Rivas, Jl. Am. Med. Assoc, 1908, L., 1492-1495. 



