430 SKINNER AND BEATTIE: EFFECT OF ASPARAGIN ON WHEAT 
carboxylic acid|| and dihydroxystearic acid,* while others are 
beneficial to growth. Creatinin, one of the nitrogenous soil 
constituents, has a beneficial effect on growth.t An extended study 
has been reported on, with this compound. Plants grown in 
solution cultures containing only potash and phosphate show 
greatly increased growth when creatinin is added. When large 
amounts of nitrate are present in the culture solutions, creatinin 
produced no appreciable effect on the growth. Plants growing in 
nitrate cultures, whether low or high in nitrate, showed a greatly di- 
minished absorption of this ingredient when creatinin was present, 
whereas the removal of potash and phosphate was practically 
normal. It seems that creatinin was absorbed by the plants, 
replacing the effect of nitrates. Creatin, nucleic acid,{ hypoxan- 
thin, and xanthin are also beneficial and have a similar action. 
Many observations have been made with nitrogenous com- 
pounds not yet isolated from soils, although allied to the com- 
pounds which have been found to exist in soils. In this connection 
asparagin has been studied. : 
Asparagin is a water-soluble form of organic material which 1s 
relatively abundant in plants. It was first found in the young 
shoots of asparagus and subsequently in a large number of other 
plants representing many different families. 
A number of investigators have worked with asparagin. 
Baessler§ found it to be beneficial to maize, Prianischnikoft and 
Lebedeff|| secured beneficial results, working with oats; Hansteen 
stearic 
* Schreiner, O., and Shorey, Edmund C. The isolation of peer gS - 
acid from soils. Jour. Amer. Chem. Soc. 30: 1599. 1908. Schreiner, O., _ iiss 
50:1 : 
Some effects of a harmful pou soil constituent. Bot. Gaz. 
U.S. Dept. Agr. Bur. Soils Bull. 1-98. I9gT10. 
} Skinner, J. J. Effects of essiie on growth and absorption. 
Agr. Bur. Soils Bull. 833: 33-41. I91I; — effect of creatinine 
on growth. Bot. Gaz. 54: 152-163. f. 1. 16 Au 
t Schreiner, O., and Skinner, J. J. The action x 
u. S. Dept: 
and creatine 
ne acid and its decomposi- 
tion products on soils and plants. Science II. 35: 390- vz Landw. Ver 
Baessler, P. Assimilation des Asparagins durch Pi ‘prone 
Stat. 33: 231. 1887. en of some 
|| Prianischnikoff, D., and Lebedeff, A. N. Assimilation of the “ Abst: 
compounds in Scie ea Tzv. Moscow Selskokhar Inst. 3: 5° 1897; 
Exp. Sta. Rec. 9: 907- 
* Hansteen, - pak een i den grénne phaner 
Selsk. Skrifter No. 3. 1898; Uber Eiweissynthese in griinen Phanerogame® 
Bot. 33: 417. 1§99. 
id. 
e plante 
ogam' Pp Jahrb. 
