[VoL. 3 
458 ANNALS OF THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 
orus sulphureus by Bourquelot and Hérissey (’95), and by 
the writer it has been found both in the mycelium and sporo- 
phores of L. saepiaria. 
In our experimental work a 1 per cent solution of maltose 
was used as a substrate. Ten cubic centimeters of this were 
placed in each of 6 test-tubes. To each of 2 of these were 
added 2 ec. of the mycelial dispersion, to each of 2 others, 
TABLE IV 
SHOWING THE ACTION OF MALTASE IN LENZITES SAEPIARIA AFTER TWO WEEKS 
AT 25-30*C. 
Reducing sugars as Net due to 
Amount of 5:2 877 glucose іп 5 cc. hydrolysis 
in 10 cc. of 1 per of substrate by maltase 
Mycelium | Sporophore | Mycelium | Sporophore 
g. mg. 
DE bc IUe eerie 40.40 39.24 6.28 18.61 
2 es (agtociaved); oorr 34.12 20.63 | у... у 
СООЗ WOR ual rA XS 26.16 10-72- Ñ+ 5e bMS 
2 ec. of the mycelial dispersion which had been autoclaved to 
kill the enzymes, and to each of the remaining were added 
2 сс. of distilled water. To all were added a few drops of 
toluol as an antiseptic. A comparable series of experiments 
was set up using sporophoral dispersion. All were ineubated 
at 25-30°C. for 2 weeks, after which time they were tested for 
reducing sugars by Shaffer's method ('14). Maltase reduces 
Fehling's solution, but when it is hydrolyzed each molecule 
yields 2 of glucose which would reduce almost twice as much 
Fehling's solution. Table 1v shows that there was consider- 
ably more reduction in the ‘‘regular’’ tubes than in the auto- 
claved and the water controls. The fact that there is more 
net reduction due to maltase in the sporophores than in the 
mycelium is not of any significance when the amount of saw- 
dust in the mycelial powder is considered. 
LACTASE 
Laetase has never been reported from the higher fungi. 
In dealing with laetase the same procedure was carried out 
