Ig12] CURRENT LITERATURE 361 
come together near a nucleolus, and then become associated into tetrads. 
From the number of chromosomes found in tetrasporic and female plants, and 
the stage at which the reduction division occurs, SVEDELIUS concludes that 
alternation of generations occurs in the life cycle of Delesseria in the sense that 
the reviewer proposed in his investigation of Polysiphonia, and that is followed 
by Lewis for Griffithsia. SvepELIUS denies ScumItTz and OLTMANNS’ view that 
the gonimoblasts of Florideae represent the sporophytic phase, comparable to 
those of mosses, and that the tetraspores are only the special forms of repro- 
ductive cells, comparable to brood - or “‘Nebenfruchtformen,” and with 
no fixed place in the life-history 
In closing, he proposes to oat out fe term “‘carpospores,”’ and to sub- 
stitute “carpogonidia,” the reason being that the spore has the haploid num- 
ber of chromosomes and represents the gametophytic phase, whereas the 
carpospore has the diploid number and represents only a stage in a prolonged 
phase of the sporophyte.—S. YAMANOUCHI. 
Plant proteins.—ZaLEsKI™ is makin 4 a study of the Sg moat ae of 
food materials in ripening seeds. Th Is onl 
nous materials in their relation to the synthesis of proteins. By ap lying a 
method used in 1905, he finds that various non-protein organic N-containing 
materials are transformed to proteins during ripening. The method consisted 
in removing green peas from the pod and coats to avoid additions from other 
portions, and in making determinations of the N in proteins, in amino acids, 
and in organic bases. The determinations for one portion was made immedi- 
ately after the removal, and for other portions 2-5 days later. In all cases 
considerable amounts of amino acids and organic bases were transformed to 
proteins. A typical analysis follows: 
Control After 5 days storage 
N Of protein, i. ck ck. 79.2 per cent of total N | 89.2 per cent of total N 
N of amino ool Site 8.7 4.6 
N of organic bases......... 10. 3 5.6 
N of other paar a Bra ae 
(differetice) / 3 ys 34 1.4 0.8 
Under similar treatment, Zea mais showed little protein synthesis, and the 
sunflower only protein decomposition. In the pea the synthesis was less than 
half as fast in the absence of O. as in its presence. Drying of the seeds also 
greatly hastened the synthes 
ZALESKI brings together we evidence for the conception that the amino 
acids resulting from the hydrolysis of a plant protein are the ones involved in 
its synthesis. He considers the two processes as two phases of a reversible 
* ZALESKI, W., Zur Kenntnis der Stoffwechelselsprozesse in reifenden Samen. 
Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 27:63-82. 1911 
