EEACTION-INTENSITIES WITH EACH AGENT AND REAGENT. 



143 



30 and 28, respectively ; meaning that 96 and 83 per cent, 

 respectively, of the total starch was gelatinized in 60 

 minutes and that 95 per cent of the starch of each hybrid 

 was gelatinized in 30 and 28 minutes, respectively. 

 Turning now to Chart A 1 (chromic-acid reactions), it 

 will be noted that while there is considerable shortening 

 of the Amaryllis and Brunsvigia lines the hybrid ordi- 

 nates are virtually absolutely the same. Taking the 

 Hippeastrum, Hcemanthus, and Crinum groups, it will be 

 noticed that in Chart A 6 the average reactivity of the 

 Hippeastrum group is slightly less than the reactivities 

 of the Hcemanthus and Crinum groups, which are nearly 

 alike ; while in Chart A 7 the average reactivity of the 

 first group is greater than in either of the other groups, 

 and the reactivity of the Crinum group is somewhat less 

 than that of Hippeastrum group. In Chart A 6 the 

 average reactivity of Nerine is greater than in Chart 

 A 7, the reverse of what was noted in Ama/ryllis-Bruns- 

 vigia, Hippeastrum, Hamanthus, and Crinum. In Nar- 

 cissus the same reversal is noted except in one parent and 

 the two hybrids of the first set. In Chart A 7 there are, 

 in comparison with the preceding, generally higher reac- 

 tivities of Lilium, Iris, Gladiolus, Tritonia, Musa, PTiaius, 

 Miltonia, Cymbidium, and Calanthe; but the opposite 

 with Begonia. Among the first generic groups there will 

 be found many exceptions — that is, lower reactivities. 

 For instance, the reaction of Lilium martagon instead of 

 being shorter is longer ; the reaction of L. chalcedonicum 

 and L. candidum are shorter, but not the reaction of 

 L. testaceum; and those of L. pardalinum and L. parryi 

 are shortened, while the reactivity of L. burhanhi is 

 lengthened. Similar inequalities appear in other groups. 

 Finally, in Begonia the reactions with a single exception 

 instead of being shorter are longer, especially the reaction 

 of B. socotrana. 



The remarkable differences in the behavior of differ- 

 ent reagents, irrespective of concentration of solution, 

 are perhaps better presented in charts of reactions of very 

 closely allied reagents, for instance, in Charts A 12 and 

 A 16 (potassium-hydroxide and sodium-hydroxide reac- 

 tions). The average reaction-intensity exhibited by the 

 potassium-hydroxide chart is in some instances greater 

 and in others less than by the sodium-hydroxide chart. 

 The records are so pregnant with interest that each set or 

 group may with ample justification be taken up sepa- 

 rately. Beginning with the Amaryllis-hrunsvigia set it 

 will be seen that with potassium hydroxide the reactions 

 with the four starches occur with such rapidity that 

 gelatinization is practically or absolutely complete within 

 1 minute ; with sodium hydroxide all four reactions differ 

 to so marked a degree that each is at a glance differen- 

 tiated from the others — in Amaryllis 97 per cent of the 

 starch is gelatinized in 3 minutes, in Brunsvigia 95 per 

 cent in 15 minutes, in Brunsdonna sanderce alia 65 per 

 cent in 60 minutes, and in Brunsdonna sanderce 88 per 

 cent in 60 minutes. The average reactivity of Hippeas- 

 trum with potassium hydroxide is 74 per cent, with so- 

 dium hydroxide 44 per cent, in 60 minutes; that of Hm- 

 manthus is about the same with both reagents, the chief 

 difference being seen in the marked elongation of the H. 

 puniceus ordinate in the sodium-hydroxide reaction. 

 The Crinum ordinates differ in the two charts very little, 

 the only noticeable diffei-ences being seen in the C moorei. 



C. kircape, and C. powellii ordinates, mostly not at all 

 marked. In Nerine there are wide differences, the potas- 

 sium hydroxide ordinates being very markedly shorter 

 than those of sodium hydroxide, the former indicating 

 almost if not complete gelatinization of all of the starches 

 in 3 minutes or less, and the latter an average gelatiniza- 

 tion of about 15 per cent in 60 minutes. This wide 

 difference in comparison with what was noted in Hip- 

 peastrum, Hcemanthus, and Crinum is remarkable. 

 Narcissus, like the last three genera, does not show 

 very much difference with these reagents, the averages 

 being 63 and 83 per cent, respectively, in 60 minutes, 

 the shortening being due almost wholly to the greater 

 reactivities of the parents. The starches of Lilium gela- 

 tinize with great rapidity with both reagents. The Iris 

 ordinates are longer throughout in the potassium- 

 hydroxide chart except in case of J. trojana, the ordinate 

 remaining the same in the sodium-hydroxide chart not- 

 withstanding that the ordinates of the other parent 

 (/. iberica) and the hybrid (I. ismali) are materially 

 shortened. In Gladiolus and Tritonia the ordinates are 

 very nearly the same in the potassium hydroxide chart, 

 but both are shortened in the sodium-hydroxide chart. 

 Gladiolus somewhat less than Tritonia. In Begonia 

 a striking difference is seen in the B. socotrana ordinates 

 but very little differences in the others; thus, in the 

 potassium-hydroxide reaction this starch is completely 

 gelatinized in one-sixth of a second, while in the sodium- 

 hydroxide reaction only 84 per cent is gelatinized in 60 

 minutes— a remarkable difference. Richardia was not 

 studied with sodium hydroxide. Musa, Phaius, Mil- 

 tonia, and Cymbidium all show shorter ordinates gener- 

 ally with potassium hydroxide than with sodium hydrox- 

 ide, the most conspicuous variation being noticed in the 

 sodium-hydroxide chart in "the markedly disproportionate 

 elongation of the M. rcezlii ordinate. 



Similar characteristics are found in Charts A 15 and 

 A 17 (potassium-sulphide and sodium-sulphide reac- 

 tions), given groups acting with greater reactivity with 

 potassium sulphide than with sodium sulphide, with 

 others the reverse, and members of the same group bear- 

 ing varying quantitative relationships in the two reac- 

 tions, etc. The Amaryllis-Bruhsvigia group has in the 

 potassium-sulphide reactions much shorter ordinates 

 than in the sodium-sulphide reactions, Amaryllis bella- 

 donna and Brunsdonna sanderce being alike, and B. san- 

 derce alba between them and the ordinate of Brunsvigia 

 josephincBj while in the sodium-sulphide chart the 

 Amaryllis belladonna and Brunsvigia Josephine ordi- 

 nates are almost exactly the same, and those of the hy- 

 brids longer than those of the parents, and nearly alike. 

 The Hippeastrum and Hcemanthus ordinates are, on the 

 whole, closely alike in both charts, but the Crinum ordi- 

 nates show some noticeable differences. The Nerine 

 group is particularly conspicuous because of the less 

 length of all of the ordinates in the potassium-sulphide 

 chart than in the sodium-sulphide chart ; because of the 

 marked difference between the lengths of those of the 

 first group and those of the second and third groups in the 

 potassium-sulphide charts ; and because all three groups 

 have almost exactly the same length of ordinates in the 

 sodium-sulphide chart. Narcissus has, to the contrary, 

 distinctly longer ordinates in the potassium-sulphide 



