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Prof. H. E. Armstrong and others. [Nov. 23„ 



last year we never succeeded in detecting it in plants growing on these 

 plots. But it is very noteworthy that on several occasions this year we 

 found patches of the plant in the Harpenden district growing near to one 

 another which were markedly different, the one being rich in cyanide the 

 other containing little if any. Thus of five separate patches found on July 1 

 in a field of lucerne, only three contained an appreciable amount of cyanide ; 

 of two patches growing close together at the edge of a wheat field only one 

 contained cyanide ; a case similar to this latter was met with at Redbourn, 

 a few miles from Harpenden. 



We had a like experience with plants from Yorkshire. Mr. Harold Wager 

 was good enough to send us seven specimens collected early in July near 

 Threshfield, in Yorkshire, at spots which appeared to afford somewhat different 

 conditions ; five of these were rich in cyanide, whilst two contained but traces. 



Plants collected in various places in the Isle of Wight in August were all 

 very rich in cyanide. It was also found in plants growing in the Swanage 

 district in places where none could be detected in the specimens collected 

 last year. 



Plants have been raised by one of us, at Lewisham near London, from 

 seed gathered last year at Kimmeridge from plants (growing on the cliff face 

 in disintegrated Kimmeridge shale) which did not then contain cyanide. 

 From an early stage onwards up to the present date (November 20, 1911), 

 these have always contained cyanophoric glueoside and the attendant enzyme. 

 We regard this as a result of special importance. 



Plants have also been raised from seed obtained early in the year from 

 Messrs. Vilmorin, of Paris, at Lewisham, at University College, Eeading, 

 and on four of the barley plots at Rothamsted — 1a, 2a, 3a and 4a ; these 

 have always been rich in cyanide. Plants raised at Lewisham and Reading 

 from seed purchased from Messrs. Vilmorin as that of Lotus major var. 

 villosus have shown no trace of cyanide and have also been free from enzyme. 



Plants obtained at West Horsham in July, at Margate in September and 

 at half a dozen different localities in the Sidmouth (Devonshire) district, 

 also in September, were all cyanophoric. 



One other experience remains to be related with reference to the British 

 Isles. Early in September, on visiting St. Andrews at the time of the 

 celebration of the 500th Anniversary of the University, one of us found 

 Lotus corniculatus growing in several places. A plant of somewhat rank 

 growth occurring in grass of rank growth at the roadside near Largoward, Fife, 

 did not afford cyanide but this was detected in a plant of less luxuriant 

 growth found in the same locality in short grass bordering a carriage drive. 

 An extraordinarily dwarf form of the plant was found growing on the sea 



