THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THE SPORES. 



87 



with alcohol (98%) by means of a reverted cooler, and after 

 evaporating, the residue was dried to constant weight at lOO° C, 

 and weighed. The alcoholic solution was neutral' 0 and yellow 

 or brownish yellow according to the quantity of the spores used. 

 The evaporation-residue was brownish and had a pungent smell 

 and a sweet taste. On cooling, innumerable needle-shaped 

 crystals formed in bushes or bundles from the hot alcoholic 

 solution. This substance left no ash upon ignition and was 

 sweet, without smell, soluble in water and hot alcohol, very 

 slightly so in cold alcohol and insoluble in ether. I determined 

 the melting point of the crystals in the capillary tube and 

 obtained 163. 5 0 C on the average. 00 Besides, the lustre of the 

 somewhat purified crystals was brilliant. Hence, there could be 

 no doubt that this substance was mannitol. I determined roughly 

 its proportion in the alcoholic extract by weighing the crystals 

 somewhat purified by recrystallization, and obtained 44.752%. 

 Besides mannit, there were contained trehalose, (3) and some 

 resinous matters. 



5. Crude fibres. 



The quantity of the crude fibres was determined according 

 to Gabriel's method by deducting the ash from the raw fibres 

 found. 



6. Carbohydrates. 



The spores 14 * were mixed with water and steamed in a 

 digester for three hours in just the same manner as for the 

 determination of starch, and then filtered. 



The filtrate did not reduce Fehling's solution, formed no 

 osazone, and upon boiling with concentrated sulphuric acid no 

 dark colouration appeared. Hence, I concluded that this 

 extract did not contain glucose, maltose or cane sugar. The 

 extract was next boiled for about three hours with dilute 

 hydrochloric acid (about 2.$%), and after neutralizing it with 



(1) I tested with litmus paper. 



(2) Of course, these crystals were not absolutely pure. 



(3) About this I shall speak soon afterwards. 



(4) The first sample. 



