426 



Mies J. White. The Ferments and [Mar. 3, 



The detailed results are enumerated in tabular form below, from which it 

 will be seen that a proteid digesting enzyme is present, which is- destroyed 

 by moist heat at 100° C. As in the case of diastase, germination tests were 

 performed in order to discover whether the germinating power was affected 

 by the addition of commercial pepsin solution, or bore any relation to the 

 persistence of the proteolytic enzymes in the resting seeds. Throughout the 

 experiments the temperature of the oven was between 34° C. and 40° C. 



Fibrin-digesting Proteolytic Ferments. 



Kind of seed. 



Aj?e 



Method. 



Time of 

 digestion. 



r? PI pf.i nti 



with, biuret 

 test. 



germina- 

 tion. 



' ' ■•■ ' ' ' 

 Percentage 

 germina- 

 tion with 

 pepsin. 



Place of 

 origin. 





6 months 



V. 



50 hours 



Faint 



100 



100 



Victoria. 





21 years 



V. 



60 „ 











S. Australia. 





20 „ 



V. 



60 „ 











i) 





6 >, 



D. 



50 „ 











)> 



„ (Indian 



6 „ 



D. 



48 „ 





8 



4 



Victoria. 



King) 

















Wheat 



2* „ 



D. 



40 „ 





68 



68 



S. Australia. 





6 months 



Y. 



60 „ 





100 



100 



Victoria. 



,, (Algerian) 



8 to 10 years 



V. 



60 „ 















„ (Golden 



8 to 10 years 



.V.- 



60 „ 



Very faint 



14 



8 





Drop) 













Barley (Hallet 



4^ years 



D. 



48 „ 



Faint 



54 



25 



New South 



Chevalier) 













Wales. 



Barley 



4* „ 



D. 



60 „ 



Very faint 



100 





Victoria. 



Oats 



5i „ 



Y. 



60 „ 



56 



40 





„ (Golden) 



8 to 10 years 



V. 



60 „ 



3 J 















li years 



Y. 



60 „ 





92 



81 



>j 





2* „ 



D. 



60 „ 



Faint 



96 



92 







*i „ 



D. 



60 „ 



>» 



62 



58 



>> 



Rye 



6 months 



D. 



64 „ 



Fairly good 



100 



96 



>» 





4£ years 



D. 



64 „ 





32 



29 



j' 





8 to lO years 



D. & V. 



64 „ 













>> 





6 months 



Y. 



70 „ 



Slight traces 



100 







„ (Golden 



4i- years 



D. & V. 



VO „ 



)) 



60 



60 



New South 



King) 













Wales. 



| 



Y. = Vine's method of preparing the proteolytic ferments, 'Annals of Botany,' No. 78, April, 1906, p. 115. 

 D. = Dean's method, ' Botanical Gazette,' vol. 39, May, 1905, p. 331. 



Reference to the preceding tables shows that a fibrin-digesting enzyme is 

 present in minute quantity in the resting grains of the cereals investigated, 

 and that apparently its amount is not appreciably influenced by the age of 

 the grains. Judging the amount of the ferment by its activity the amount 

 present is small in all the seeds tested, the maximum activity being 

 possessed by the rye seeds, and the minimum by the maize. The addition of 

 commercial pepsin solution to the seeds does not in any case increase their 

 percentage germination, and where the percentage germination is low tends 

 to lower it still further. 



