174 Mr. E. H. Acton. The Assimilation of Carbon 



No. 13, — Experiments with the u Humus like" Product of ATkalie* 

 on Cane-Sugar .* 



A. With Cut Branches. 



Solution used. 



Plants. 



Results. 



The culture solution 

 + 25 e.c. of the 

 aqueous extract 



I 



Same solution as 

 above 



Tilia Europcea 

 Phaseolus vulgaris 

 Euphorbia helioscopia 



J. Solution supplied to the 



Cheiranthus Cheiri (3 plants) 

 Acer pseudoplatanus (1 plant) 

 Quercus robur 



No starch formed (6 

 days). 



Roots. 



No formation of .starch in 

 the leaves (8 days). 



The plants resumed growth on being again planted out after the 

 experiment. 



Abstract of Results of Experiments. 



1. Starch formed when compound is supplied either direct to leaves 

 or to roots, with — 



Glucose, j ^Qk serve( j by ^ Meyer for " supplied 



c i ' > to shoots ")• Experiments on 

 baccharon, ( _ , _ r 



Inulin J snoo * s no * repeated. 



2. Starch formed when the compound is supplied direct to leaves 

 but not when supplied direct to roots, with — 



Soluble Starch. 



3. Starch formed when the compound is supplied to the roots, but 

 not when supplied direct to the leaves, with — 



" Humus Extract." 



4. Starch not formed at all — with acrolein, or compounds ; allyl 

 alcohol ; dextrin ; glycogen ; aldehyde or compounds ; lgevulinic acid ; 

 artificial humus substance. 



5. Glucose more readily taken up by roots from 0*5 per cent, solu- 

 tion than saccharon. All the glucose can be withdrawn from a 1 per 

 cent, solution by roots if left in the solution sufficiently long. 



I conclude from these experiments — 



* When 5 per cent, of glucose was added to a portion of the aqueous extract, 

 and the beaker containing this mixture exposed to light, a considerable amount of 

 fungus mycelium (? bacteria) formed in the solution by the end of 14 days. 



