[Vol. 2 



552 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 



the reaction may be between the anesthetics and the larval pig- 

 ment is another question which Lillie does not touch upon. In 

 a recent article Miss Wheldale ( '14), in discussing the natural 

 and artificial extracts of plants, states that whereas artificial 

 anthocyanin is soluble in ether the natural anthocyanins are 

 not. May we not have a similar effect in the pigments con- 

 cerned? Small amounts of the anesthetics may render those 

 pigments insoluble and in that manner prevent their exosmosis 

 rather than by bringing about any considerable alteration of 

 the membrane; larger amounts of the anesthetics would act 

 chemically on the membrane to a point of disintegration suffi- 

 cient for the physical escape of the pigment. 



It will be seen from the following experiments that in the 

 case of roots of Pisum sativum certain salts caused a marked 

 exosmosis of electrolytes. In the presence of anesthetics this 

 exosmosis was not decreased or prevented, as Lillie found in 

 the case of the pigments referred to, but was even increased. 

 Hence these results do not indicate any permeability-decreas- 

 ing action on the part of the anesthetics and are therefore in 

 harmony with the findings of Dixon and Atkins (13) and 

 others. Another interesting condition is seen in the exosmosis 

 resulting from single and combined salts acting for different 

 periods of time. It was expected that such results would cor- 

 respond with those obtained on plant-growth studies of antag- 

 onistic action between various nutrient and non-nutrient salts. 

 That equally as high, or in some cases higher, exosmosis values 

 were obtained from combined salts as from single salts is an 

 unexpected and interesting result. 



As previously indicated, the method used was to place the 

 plants in the various solutions for the period specified and then 

 transfer them, after careful rinsing of the roots, to distilled 

 water in which the conductivity readings were to be taken. It 

 was ascertained that the rinsing was effective in removing 

 electrolytes from the roots. Figures 15 and 16 show the re- 

 sults for the briefer treatments with certain salts, and it is 

 there seen that for a period of treatment less than 17 hours 

 the N/20 MgCl 2 has no effect. While in the case of the cul- 

 ture treated for one-half hour with the McrCl?. the conductivitv 



