NETWORK OF PROTO- 

 PLASM IN A FLOUR- 

 CELL 



In a grain of wheat there are ten 

 or twenty thousand flour-cells 

 like the one shown herewith- 

 magnified to l.OGO diameters. 

 The wall of the cell has been re- 

 moved and the starch washed 

 out so that the complex and 

 definite structure of the cell is 

 revealed. Like all hving cells, 

 it consists of a network of proto- 

 plasm, that substance without 

 which hfe cannot exist, in 

 wheat, the protoplasmic network 

 and the nucleus constitute the 

 gluten. The details are as fol- 

 lows- a, h, the network m whose 

 meshes large and small starch 

 aranules were held; c, the wall of 

 the nucleus; d, the chromatin ot 

 the nucleus; c, a more or less 

 colorless zone surrounding the 

 true nucleus; /, wall of the 

 nucleus; g, granular components 

 of the nucleolus; h, vacuole ot the 

 nucleolus. The nucleus is very 

 irregular in shape because of the 

 pressure on it of the starch 

 granules. 



As protoplasm is a very complex 

 substance, it would be a mistake 

 to suppose that all protoplasm is 

 comparable with the gluten m 

 wheat. As a fact, the proto- 

 plasm of everv species is differ- 

 ent, and there are only a few 

 grains in which the proteins are 

 found in tough masses, as m the 

 gluten of wheat. 



Within a single species,_ the 

 proteins have many difterent 

 forms. The protoplasm m the 

 wheat germ is not exactly the 

 same as that in the starch cells. 

 Indeed, so complicated is the 

 subject that the grain of wheat 

 has been very figuratively lik- 

 ened to a chemical laboratory, m 

 various parts of which various 

 compounds are being constantly 

 made. 



It seems probable that the 

 gluten, like the starch, is used as 

 nourishment by the germ of the 

 wheat, when it starts to grow. 

 With the discovery that each 

 species has its own characteristic 

 protoplasm, it was also learned 

 that the different proteins pro- 

 duce different effects in the 

 nutrition of men — This greatly 

 complicated the question of a 

 suitable diet. It is not desirable 

 to depend on the protoplasm of 

 any one plant or animal species 

 for human food, but to eat a 

 wide range of proteins. This 

 will insure that the body gets 

 the compounds which are neces- 

 sary to it. (Fig. 8.) 



