1905] CURRENT LITERATURE 77 
organs contained proteolytic enzymes, and in a second paper* he gives the 
results of his study of the protease in ripening peas. Autodigestion experiments 
were carried out with freshly ground developing peas, with a powder prepared 
by drying the tissues at 35-37° C., and with a powder made from ground peas 
in a manner analogous to ALBERT’s acetone method for making zymase prepara- 
tions from yeast. Evidence of proteolytic activity was furnished. by analyses 
showing a diminution of the proteid as the digestions progressed. The enzymes 
of peas in the earlier stages of development caused a much more active proteolysis 
than those from the seeds in more advanced stages. This greater vigor of the 
enzyme of younger tissues is brought out in experiments showing the influence 
of strong sugar solution and of potassium nitrate. These agents had little effect 
on the progress of autodigestion with young peas, but caused a noticeable inhi- 
bition in the tests with older ones. The proteolysis is hurried by the presence 
of a trace of alkali, but retarded by stronger alkalis and by acids. The optimum 
temperature lay between 4o and 50° C. The enzyme acted vigorously on Witte 
peptone.—ArTHuR L. DEan. 
Miss Tames’ has tested the sensibility to differences of environment of 
several fluctuating characters in each of several species grown under more and less 
favorable soil conditions. Of the fifteen characters studied, fourteen agree with 
as those Presented, and not as an absolute measure of sensibility which would 
pemit comparison with the sensibility-coefficients for the same characters under 
other conditions. In the well-fed plants-the coefficients of variability for all the 
acters of a given species were found to be nearly alike, though the several 
Species differed markedly from each other in this regard; but in the poorly-fed 
Ri, the variability of the several characters was very differently affected, being 
some: : : 
~~ times increased sometimes decreased. 
4 ZALESKI, W., Zur Kenntniss der proteolytischen enzyme der reifenden Samen. 
. tsch. Bot. Gesells. 23:133-I4I. 1905. 
bo Tames, Trxe, On the influence of nutrition on the fluctuating variability of 
©) Koninklijke Akad. Wetens. Amsterdam 7:398-411. #V. 1. 1005- 
