321 



diastase would now presumably convert more starch into dextrin and sugar, 

 when softened, and result in appreciable losses in manufacture. The great- 

 est changes due to sprouting, however, are found in the nitrogen-containing 

 elements of the grain. While especially the ammonia content had remained 

 unchanged (nitric acid was not found in quantities worth mentioning in 

 either of the two kinds of grain) the soluble proteins had decreased to a 

 great extent, the insoluble to a lesser one. This decrease is explained by 

 the relatively great increase of the amides. Thus, in sprouting, first the 

 soluble proteins had been consumed in the formation of the amides and 

 later even a part of the insoluble ones. 



Kobus arrived at the same results in his investigations of sprouted 

 wheat, whose gluten content had decreased from 20 to 25 per cent. This 

 fact explains the well-known loss in baking qualify of a flour made from 

 sprouted grain. 



The germinating capacity in the experiments carried out by Marcker 

 had fallen from 98 per cent, to 45 per cent. 



It thus becomes evident how worth while are the great efforts which 

 must be exerted in any case to make possible harvesting the grain while 

 dry. Similar losses may befall other field crops as well, as, for example, 

 lupines, rape, beet roots. The cases in which the seed germinates inside the 

 fruit without being noticeable externally are interesting but not of importance 

 agriculturally. I found such cases in pears, apples, melons, and pumpkins. 

 Other observers found the same phenomena in oranges, as well as pumpkins, 

 and indeed in other fruits also which had remained very long on the trees, 

 and in that which had only colored late. Further statements on this subject 

 may be found in the section on germination interrupted by drought. 



The Rupturing of Fleshy Parts of Plants. 



Fleshy roots, stems and fruits frequently crack open in long periods of 

 dampness. Among vegetables, kohlrabi, carrots and parsley sufifer especially. 

 Hallier^ proved that the rupturing is due to excessive water supply, for by 

 banging parsley roots in water he found after three days that all the part 

 which was in the water had cracked open. Boussingault" observed the 

 rupturing of cherries, mirabelle plums, pears, grapes, and blueberries after 

 the fruits had hung in water. I obtained the same results by imbedding 

 them in wet sand. Of herbaceous stems, those of rape crack open very 

 freely shortly before the time of blossoming. The figure here given shows 

 the change in a bean, which I had planted too deep in wet sand. In July, 

 1882, in Proskau, I found ruptured potato stems and Beta vulgaris roots. 

 At that time a very rainy July had followed a dry spring after a small 

 amount of winter moisture. The phenomenon was apparent at first on light 

 places in the soil and in the best developed plants. I found similar cases 

 in roses and in plum seedlings, which had been taken from the sand and 



1 Hallier, E., Phytopathologie, p. 87. 



^ Compare Bot. Jahresbericht, 1873, p. 253, 



