ON THE FORMATION OF ARGININ- IN CONIFEROUS PLANTS. 33 



We shall see the difference more clearly in the following 

 table : — 





a ) 



D ) 



c ) 



Total nitrogen. 



100.0 



101.4 



"7-3 



Albuminoid nitrogen. 



ICO.O 



1 00. 1 



99.0 



Asparagine nitrogen. 



1 00.0 



106.3 



127.0 



Nitrogen in phospho- 









tungstic precipitate.* 



100.0 



125.0 



370.2 



Other nitrogen. 



100.0 



96.0 



94.8 



This result is more decisive than that of the former experi- 

 ment. Almost all the ammonia absorbed by the shoots c), 

 amounting to ij% of the total nitrogen, was converted into the 

 organic base, and there was only a little increase of asparagine. 



Plate II. shows the increase of organic bases, especially 

 arginin, in the shoots of Pinus Thunbergii by the addition of 

 ammonium salts. The black lines refer to shoots cultured in 

 the half saturated gypsum solution, in the diffused day-light. 

 The red lines refer to shoots cultured in 0.5% ammonium 

 chloride solution, half saturated with gypsum, in the diffused 

 day-light. 



3. CRYPTOMERIA JAPONICA. 



Etiolated shoots of Cryptomeria japonica, grown in the 

 purified sea sand in a warm house, and 6-8cm. high (10th April), 

 were exposed to direct sun-light in two lots. To one lot, a half 

 saturated gypsum solution was added and to the other a 0.$% 

 ammonium chloride solution half saturated with gypsum. After 



* In this case also, the absence of ammonia and peptone in the phospho-tungstic 

 precipitate was proved in the same way as in the former experiment. 



As the sample was too little, the isolation of arginin was impossible ; but the 

 following examination was made ;— From 1.5 grams of each of the three samples 

 phospho-tungstic precipitate was obtained in the usual way, and the basic arginin silver 

 salt was microscopically examined. I found only a very little of arginin crystals in a) 

 and b), but three or four times more in c). So I conclude that the arginin was 

 synthetically formed from ammonium salts in c). 



