1911.] 



Herbage Studies. 



479 



It is probable that, in some cases, the plant Dr. Eyre examined was the 

 major variety [Courtrai, Moscow (1) ]. On the whole, his observations confirm 

 those we have made at home and in Norway ; those which he made in 

 Moscow at the garden of the Agricultural Experiment Station may be referred 

 to as specially interesting : in order to bring under the notice of students the 

 manner in which weeds are introduced with agricultural seeds, neighbouring 

 plots there had been sown with clover seed from various localities.. Lotus 

 ■corniculatus was among the weeds on each of the plots but specimens from 

 three plots behaved quite differently : no cyanide was present in the plant — 

 probably the major variety — growing on the plot sown with seed from East 

 Russia but that from the plot sown with American seed was extraordinarily 

 rich in cyanide, whilst that derived from seed from South Kussia contained but 

 little cyanide. The East Russian plant had a very large leaf ; the American 

 plant, rich in cyanide, had the smallest leaf. It may be mentioned that 

 Dr. Eyre could not find Lotus corniculatus in the St. Petersburg district. 



It is clear that Lotus corniculatus is a variable plant, though more often 

 than not, during the present year, it has contained hydrogen cyanide 

 everywhere except in Norway, where the climatic conditions are undoubtedly 

 somewhat special. 



Taking into account the variability of the plant and the occurrence of 

 cyanophoric and acyanophoric plants in close proximity, there is reason to 

 suspect crossing and it will be important to carry out experiments from this 

 point of view. But it will be necessary to isolate the varieties first and study 

 these apart. We have secured seed this year in Norway as well as from 

 other places and hope that we shall be able to raise plants next year which 

 will make it possible to state whether the non-occurrence of cyanide in the 

 Norwegian plant is in any way a consequence of climatic influences. 



As to the nature of the glucoside present in Lotus corniculatus : we have 

 detected acetone as well as hydrogen cyanide and taking into account the fact 

 that the Lotus enzyme acts so readily on linamarin, it is highly probable 

 that the glucoside present is linamarin — the glucoside characteristic of many 

 varieties of flax — and that the enzyme is the linase which is associated 

 with linamarin in flax. In this connection, the following observations are 

 of interest : — 







Percentage activity of enzyme towards 







Linamarin. 



Prunasin. 



Amygdalin. 



Salicin. 



Lotus corniculatus... 



July 10, 1910 



64-5 



32 -0 



2-7 



27 -8 



,, major 



August 10 ,, 



1 -8 



2-0 



1-5 





