80 



HATCH EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



No further geriiiinatiou took place in the untreated seeds 

 after the fifth day. 



Table VII. — Showing the Effects of Leucin Solutions upon the 

 Germination of Alfalfa Seeds (Meclicago sativa). 



STRENGTH OF SOLUTION. 



Percentage op Germination (in Days). 



Normal, . 

 1 per cent., 

 .5 per cent., 

 .25 per ceut., 

 .1 per cent., 

 .05 per cent., 



Normal average (per cent.) 90.0 



Leucin average (per cent.), 97.0 



No further germination took phice in the untreated seeds 

 after the third day. Another experiment with alf\ilfa gave 

 89 per cent, for the normal and 98 per cent, for the treated 

 seeds. The average of the three leucin experiments gave 83 

 per cent, for the normal and 92 per cent, for the treated. 

 The various solutions of leucin had no injurious effect on the 

 seeds. 



Exijerhnents luith Pef)siu Solutions. 



Pepsin is a proteolytic ferment (enzyme), found in some 

 seeds during germination, and is capable of converting non- 

 diffusible proteids into difiusible ones. The seeds in the 

 experiments shown in the two tables. VIII. and IX., were 

 treated as in the preceding ones. 



Table VIII. — Showing the Effects of Pepsin Sohitio7is \ipon the 

 Germination of Crimson Clover Seeds (Trifolitcm incarna- 

 twn L.). 



Normal average (per cent.), 28.00 



Pepsin average (per cent.), 4133 



