Germination of the Seed of the Castor-oil Plant. 371 



after endorsed by Peters,* who published comparative analyses of 

 the oily seed and seedling of the pumpkin. By these tables, Peters 

 shows that during the early period of germination the oil diminished 

 from about 50 per cent, of the weight of the seed till it only amounted 

 to 17 per cent., and that starch appeared in the same time in quan- 

 tity equal to 4 per cent, of the weight of the seed. During a second 

 period the oil went down from 17 to 11 per cent., while the starch 

 increased from 4 to 7'6 per cent. During a third period, while the 

 oil sank to 4 per cent., the starch also diminished, becoming rather 

 less than 3 per cent. Peters, in considering these analyses, appears 

 to hold the view put forward by Sachs, that the starch is produced by 

 the transformation of the oil, though the quantities given do not at 

 all necessarily bear out the hypothesis. 



Fleury,f in 1865, working on the castor-oil, rape, and almond 

 plants, denied the necessity for the occurrence of starch, pointing 

 out that as the oil disappears sugar is to be found. He further 

 noticed that during the germination there was a formation of a non- 

 volatile acid in small quantity. 



V. Hellriegel,J who investigated rapeseed, agrees with Fleury in 

 denying the occurrence of starch as an intermediate product of the 

 conversion of fat. He points out that germination is attended by 

 processes of oxidation, there being an evolutiou of C0 2 during the 

 whole period. 



In 1871, a new fact was noted by Miintz, that during germination 

 a quantity of fatty acid appears in the seed, pointing to a splitting 

 up of the oil into such fatty acid and glycerine. Miintz suggests 

 that the embryo may play a very important part in such a trans- 

 formation, acting after the manner of a ferment. He failed to find 

 any glycerine in any of his experiments, but says that the fatty acid 

 increases in quantity as the germination proceeds. The fate of the 

 glycerine, if liberated, he did not trace, nor does he suggest what 

 becomes of it. 



Schiitzenberger,|J in 1876, drew attention to the fact that if oily 

 seeds be steeped in water, an emulsion is obtained in which very soon 

 may be noted the appearance of glycerine and fatty acid, and puts 

 forward the view that during germination an emulsive and saponi- 

 fying ferment, placed with fat in the presence of water, causes it to 

 undergo true digestion and renders it assimilable. He gives, how- 

 ever, no evidence of the existence of such a ferment. 



* Peters, ' Landwirthsch. Versuchsstat.,' vol. 3, 1861. 

 t ' Annales de Chimie,' ser. 4, vol. 4, p. 38. 



J Detmer, ' Vergleichende Physiologic des Keiinungsprocesses der Samen.' Jeua, 

 1880, p. 334. 



Miintz, ' Annales de Chimie,' ser. 4, vol. 22, 1871. 



|| ' On Fermentation' (Internat. Scientif. Series, vol. xx). 



