4 3 



U. SUZUKI. 



in the shoots of Cryptomcria I found still 49% of the total 

 nitrogen in the form of albuminoid nitrogen, from which we can 

 obtain at least 49 x I S-S% = 7&% organic bases. If we suppose 

 that the entire proteids in the shoots were split, then we must 

 have at least 21.4-7.6 = 28.6% of organic bases. Such a large 

 quantity of the bases can never come from mere hydrolytic 

 decomj:>osition !* 



b) As I have already shown that the coniferous plants can 

 converts ammonium salts into arginin, so it is highly probable 

 that the ammonia formed by the decomposition of other amido- 

 compounds in the plant cells may be easily converted into 

 arginin, just in the same way as asparagine is formed in the other 

 plants. The question whether arginin is formed at the cost of 

 asparagine or whether the former can be converted into asparagine 

 before it is used for the regeneration of proteids, is still left open. 



SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS. 



1. Arginin in coniferous plants not only comes from the 

 decomposition of proteids but also can be synthetically formed 

 from the ammonium salts (and aiso from nitrates !) offered to the 

 plants. 



2. Plants not belonging to the Coniferae do not produce 

 arginin by the assimilation of ammonium salts, asparagine being 

 the only product. 



3. The synthetical formation of arginin proceeds in full as 

 well as in diffuse day-light. But whether it is formed in the 

 dark is not yet proved. 



4. Arginin accumulates in a large quantity in the shoots 

 of Coniferae in the dark as well as in full day-light in the first 



* E. Schulze found in the etiolated shoots of Picea excelsa 54.6% albuminoid 

 nitrogen and 29.3% nitrogen in phospho-tungstic' precipitate. But by the action of 

 hydrochloric acid, he found that about 30% of the total nitrogen comes as the nitrogen in 

 phospho-tungstic precipitate ; so we can get about 30% nitrogen in phospho-tungstic 

 precipitate only when all proteids are decomposed, if we assume that the bases are 

 formed only by the hydrolytic decomposition. But we have here still 54.6% ot nitrogen 

 in the form of proteids which can split off at least 54.6x30%= 1 6- 4% nitrogen in 

 phospho-tungstic precipitate. (Compare E. Schulze : — Zeits. f. Physiol. Chem. XXII. 

 1896. S. 441.) 



