THE ANNALS 
AND 
MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 
No. 110. FEBRUARY 1846. 
X.— Remarks upon the Formation of Starch. 
By M. Cuartes Mixrer*. 
Tus subject has already been treated of by J. Minter in his 
interesting paper “ On the Starch of Gloriosa superbat.’ The 
result of his investigations is, “that a process similar to that of cell- 
formation may also be supposed to occur in the formation of the 
starch-granules, the nature of which must constitute the object 
of future inquiry.” At the time the above paper appeared, I had 
also been engaged on this subject, endeavouring to investigate 
the formation of the starch-granules in the nucleus of the fruit of 
Chara. had not then succeeded in ascertaining this, but had 
discovered the earliest commencement of the formation of the 
cells in the nucleus, which completely confirmed Schleiden’s 
theory of the cell-formation. Since, however, at a subsequent 
period, starch only is found in the nucleus in the place of the 
cells, the simple and natural conclusion was, that the cells them- 
selves must have been converted into starch. The manner in 
which this was accomplished was not then evident, as the con- 
tents of the sac of the spores, which surrounds the nucleus, so 
soon became turbid, and did not permit of that stage being dis- 
covered in which the transition of the cells into starch might be 
studied{. It was remarked in this paper, “ that in the mature 
cells probably new ones are continually formed, until the process 
of cell-formation terminates by all the cells being converted into 
starch.” I can now, from actual observation, confirm this position, 
which was previously deduced by Miinter from his experiments. In 
the spring of this year I obtained at Wanzleben near Halle, young 
specimens of Chara crinita having the fruit in an early stage. I 
took a quantity of it home with me, and in order to examine it 
accurately placed it in water until I had sufficient time for further 
* Translated from the Botanische Zeitung for Dec. 12, 1845. 
+ Ibid. No. 12, 1845. 
t On the history of the development of the Chare (Bot. Zeit. 1845, p.443). 
G 
Ann. &§ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xvii. 
