1913.] 



Herbage Studies. 

 Enzyinic Activity of Lotus corniculatus. 



265 



Percentage hydrolysed. 



Source of specimen. 



Linamarin. 



Salicin. 



Moscow,* from American clover seed 



„ ,, West Russian clover seed 



Ballantrae (August 27, 1912) 



River Cree, Ivy Pool (August 29, 1912) 



Lane from Dalnaw Farm (September 1, 1912) 



Face of bank below Farm, near bridge (September ] , 1912) 



Edge of ditto (September 1, 1912) 



Barry Links, Taymouth (September 8, 1912) 



Pilmour Links, St. Andrews (October 9, 1912) 



Lotus tenuis 



84-2 

 80-5 

 57 -0 

 74-0 

 40-5 



20 -0 

 31 -0 



2-6 



3-0 



3 -0 

 28 -0 



3-2 

 21 2 

 50 -4 



717 



3 

 49 -5 



3-0 

 45-2 



* We are indebted to Prof. Williams for these samples ; they are referred to in the table given 

 in Part I. 



It will be seen that there is a marked difference between the plants 

 collected on opposite sides of the River Tay, near Dundee and at St. Andrews, 

 the one having but little activity, the other being moderately active. So far 

 as we were able to judge, the two plants were identical in external appearance. 



Still more remarkable is the difference between Nos. 8 and 9. Both were 

 strong plants showing faint traces of cyanide : the one specimen was taken 

 from a large tuft overhanging the very edge of the bank ; the other from a 

 large patch at most a yard or two distant from the first, growing below it 

 where the bank began to slope away to the river. 



It appears, therefore, to be established that whilst the " normal form " of 

 L. corniculatus generally met with in the southern parts of Britain contains 

 both a cyanophoric glucoside and the correlated enzyme, in Scotland and also 

 in Norway a form prevails which is " rich " in enzyme but contains mere 

 traces of the glucoside ; and that a third form exists in which the amount of 

 enzyme is also very small. The second form appears to be widely distributed 

 though less common than the first : but the third has been met with only 

 rarely (once at home and perhaps in Norway). We hope that we shall be 

 able to obtain further information, during the present year, which will enable 

 us to throw more light on the nature of the relationship between the different 

 varieties. 



Inasmuch as the glucoside is sometimes all but absent in cases in which an 

 apparently " normal" amount of enzyme is present, it appears probable that 

 the presence of these two " factors," which undoubtedly are to be regarded as 

 correlated, is not sufficient and that some other factor or factors are concerned 

 in the production of the glucoside if not of the enzyme. As traces of cyanide 



