MULBERRY— DWARF TROUBLES IN JAPAN. 22 1 



Reaction. — Faintly acid. 

 Specific gravity. — i.coi. 



Qualitative tests : — 

 [. Nitrates. — Diphenylaminc reaction, dark blue 

 colouration : — 



Nitrates present in tolerable quantity. 



2. Ammonia. — Nessler's reagent produced brown 



precipitate. The solution boiled with a little 

 caustic potash, ammonia gas evolved, which 

 turned red litmus paper distinctly blue and 

 yellow turmeric paper brown. Doubtful whether 

 the ammonia was present as such in the original 

 fresh solution or was derived from the decomposi- 

 tion of proteids or amido-compounds. Normal 

 sap commonly contains no ammonia. Further, a 

 brown precipitate may also be produced by 

 Nessler's reagent in the presence of sugars. 



3. Lime salts. — A little present, white precipitate by 



ammonium oxalate. 



4. Sulphate. — Doubtful trace. 



5. Chlorides. — Tolerably much, white precipitate by 



silver nitrate. 



6. Iron salts. — Absent. 



7. Proteids. — Biuret reaction, only faintly violet. 



No precipitate by nitric acid- 



Almost no precipitate by potassium ferrocyanide 



and acetic acid. 

 From these reactions, the presence of proteids is 



doubtful, or it must have been decomposed 



during the collecting of the sap. 



8. Sugars. — Slightly reduces Fehling's solution. 

 100 c.c. of the sap yielded 0.0172 grams nitrogen. 

 Sap of Jumonji. June 2. 



Colour. — Same as in Obata. 

 Specific graviiy. — 1.0007. 

 100 c.c. contained. — 0.007 grams nitrogen. 



0.185 grams dry matter. 

 0.080 grams ash (76% of which dis- 

 solves in hydrochloric acid.) 

 0.095 grams organic matter. 



