29 



The reducing sugar in the plant's body of rice is probably 

 dextrose, its osazonc having crystallized in yellow needles which 

 melted at 104 105 C. The non-reducing sugar crystallized rather 

 easily from the alcoholic extract, and it is called provisionally, in 

 the present paper, "saccharose." These sugars and dextrine are 

 not stored in reserve to such a large extent as are starch, pentosane, 

 cellulose etc., but are transformed into higher compounds during the 

 plant's development. Hence a rather small amount of these carb- 

 hydratcs are found in the entire plant even at maturity, though other 

 organic substances reach a maximum at this stage. In the later 

 period of the growth of vegetative organs a very vigorous synthesis 

 of soluble carbohydrates takes prace, and a great quantity of insoluble 

 higher carbohydrates accumulate in the vegetative tissues, especially 

 in the stem. 



The leaves and stems contain a very high percentage of soluble 

 carbohydrates before maturation, but the grain has a very small 

 percentage. These lower carbohydrates after 'migrating into the 

 grain, there undergo a fairly complete transformation, and serve as a 

 store of reserve material for the nutriment of seeds. The absolute 

 quantity of these sugars in the stems is always greater than in the 

 leaves. It seems that these soluble substances produced in the 

 leaves enter the stems and accumulate there, translocation from the 

 leaves being more active than transformation in the stems and mig- 

 ration into the grain. 



In comparing the amounts of glucose and saccharose, we find 

 that the latter sugar is more abundantly stored in the stems at the 

 time of blossoming and also in the mature grain. W. P. Kelley 

 and A. R. Thompson, (Hawaii Agr. Expt. Stat Bull. No. 21), obtained 

 6.53^ of reducing sugar and 10.38^' of saccharose in the stems of 

 the rice crop collected before the period of flowering. We have no 

 exact knowledge of the process of formation of higher carbohydrates 

 from the lower bodies ; however, the greater accumulation of saccha- 



