of Grains and Farinaceous Substances. 223 



5th, The farina, treated twice successively by alcohol and 

 •water, is dissolved almost entirely afterwards in the concen- 

 trated acetic acid : this solution, by means of the infusion 

 of galls, precipitates in abundance oxy muriatic acid, am- 

 monia, and mercury* 



6th, Diluted in water, and exposed to a gentle heat, the 

 farina of lupine ferments, exhales carbonic acid, forms acetic 

 acid, without any vestige of alcohol, and soon putrefies, ex- 

 haling a foetid odour. 



It results from this analysis that the farina of lupines con- 

 tains : 



1st, A bitter and coloured oil, to the amount of a seventh, 

 which communicates its properties to the whole mass. 



2d, A vcseto-animal matter, soluble in plenty of water, 

 and much more so in the acetic acid. It is this which fur- 

 nishes oil and ammonia upon distillation, and which gives , 

 to the watery infusion all its properties of precipitation. 



3d, Phosphates of lime and magnesia abundant enough, 

 and small quantities of phosphates of potash and iron. 



4th, It contains neither starch nor sugar, and, on this 

 account, differs from the other leguminous farinas. 



§ VII. Upon the Germination of Leguminous Seeds. 



1 st, In Floreal of the year 1 2, we placed lentils and garden 

 beans, freed from their husks, under a bell-glass full of at- 

 mospheric air, placed upon water, and in a capsule of porce- 

 lain. The former germinated three or four nays afterwards; 

 their radicles were very long, and the plumules very per- 

 ceptible ; twelve days afterwards their height was three cen- 

 timetres ; their leaves were displayed. The beans had no 

 6lgn of germination at all ; their radicles, however, were 

 lengthened, without the plumule having made any progress. 

 They began to turn mouldy, and at this period the experi- 

 ment was stopped. The air of the bell-glass extinguished 

 a taper and precipitated lime water, although it still allowed 

 phosphorus to burn a little. 



2d, The same seeds, placed at the same period under a 

 bell-glass full of hydrogen gas placed upon water, presented 

 no appearance of germination, not even a development of 



the 



