1887. ] BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 125 
side of which he does not mention the occurrence of aspar- 
agin. 
In 1876 E. Schulze® published the first of a notable series 
of contributions upon the subject. Lupine seeds which con- 
tained 45 per cent. of albumin were germinated and grown 
fifteen days under exclusion of light. At the end of this time 
the total amount of nitrogen present was unchanged, but only 
8 per cent. of albumin remained; 37 per cent. had been 
changed to a soluble form, of which nearly two-thirds was 
asparagin. By repeated experiments it was found that the 
most favorable conditions for the formation and accumulation 
of asparagin were germination in the dark for ten days, and 
then exposure to faint light for some weeks’; the germs thus 
produced contained usually 27 to 28 per cent. of their dry 
weight in asparagin. The quantity produced was propor- 
tonal to the time of growth, and it was found in the greatest 
abundance in the axial organs. These observations were 
supplemented by those of Borodin,’ who gave to the question 
on aspect by investigating the different parts of growing 
plants. 
In the young shoots of many trees and shrubs he found 
appreciable quantities of asparagin; in some, however, only 
traces ; while in others, as Larix, Betula, Alnus, Syringa, Lon- 
. 
The study of te’ problem thus far had been prosecuted 
schap*tichte d. Deutschen Chem. Gesellschaft, vol. 9 (1876), p. 1314. Also Landwirth- 
t. Jahrbiicher, vol 5 (1876), p. 821. 
Journal fiir Practische Chemie, vol. 27 (1883), p. 337. 
Botanische Zeitung, vol. 36 (1878), p. 801. 
