ON THE FORMATION OF ARGININ IN CONIFEROUS PLANTS. 35 



Albuminoid nitrogen. 0.0069 0.0070 100: 101.5 



Asparagine nitrogen. 0.0009 0.0014 ICO: 155.7 

 Nitrogen in phospho- 



tungstic precipitate* 0.0025 0.0041 100: 166.7 



Other nitrogen. 0.0043 0.0050 100: 116.1 



In this case, some increase of asparagine nitrogen was also 

 observed, but the absolute increase was only ^ as compared with 

 the increase of organic bases. 



From the above three experiments wc may safely conclude 

 that the ammonium salts offered to the coniferous plants are 

 chiefly converted into argiriin and only a small quantity of 

 asparagine is formed synthetically, which latter is the chief 

 product of the assimilation of ammonium salts in other plants. f 

 Now let us try to see whether arginin can be synthetically 

 formed in other plants, not belonging to the Coniferae. 



B) PLANTS, NOT BELONGING TO THE 

 CONIFERAE. 



1. Brassica rapa. 



On the 7th November, young plants, 10-12 cm. high, grown 

 in the field was carefully removed, washed well, a portion of it 

 was directly dried and the other portion was divided into 2 parts 

 and grown in the following solutions : — 



1) Half saturated gypsum solution. 



2 ) ammonium sulphate solution, half saturated with 

 gypsum. 



* Neither ammonia nor peptone was likewise found in this case. 



•(• Compare my article "On the Formation of Asparagine etc." Bull. II. No. 7. 

 of the Coll. of Agri., Tokyo. 



I also made the same experiment twice with Pinus Thunbergii, adding 0.2% sodium 

 nitrate instead of the 0.5% ammonium chloride solution, but failed to prove the increase 

 of arginin, because by exposure to direct sun-light the nitrate offered to the shoots was 

 too quickly transformed into protcids, and no intermediate product remained in the 

 plant cells. 



