PHYSIOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE TEA PLANT. 295 



Leaves gathered 



May 15 



July 15 



November 30 



Old leaves of May 15 



on 



22. 1 



I0.2 



8.6 



Hence a gradual decrease of theine takes place from July to 

 November not only relatively but absolutely. Since in autumn 

 various products migrate toward the seeds or stems and roots, 

 the decrease of total and theine nitrogen in the leaves in autumn 

 might of course be expected ; and further, as we have found no 

 theine in the seeds and only doubtful traces of it in the stems 

 and roots of the tea plant, and as also there is only very 

 little non-albuminoid nitrogen in the seeds as well as in the 

 stems and roots, we may safely conclude that the theine once 

 formed in the leaves may later again be transformed gradually 

 into proteids. However it is not probable that it is directly used 

 for this purpose, as we have already pointed out, but it seems 

 that the process is an indirect one. Perhaps theine is firse 

 destroyed and its nitrogen is liberated as ammonia, befort 

 protein formation from that source can take place. 



My investigation permits the following conclusion : — 



1) Seeds of the tea plant contain originally no theine. 

 Neither do the proteids of the seeds yield theine by the action of 

 hydrochloric acid. Hence the formation of theine during tiie 

 germination process can not be due to a mere splitting off from 

 the proteids, but must be due to a far reaching transformation of 

 the products of metabolism. 



2) Light seems to have no direct influence upon the forma- 

 tion of theine. Since etiolated shoots as well as the shoots 

 grown in clay light, contain it in nearly the same quantities. 



3) Cotyledons of germinating seedlings contain also some 

 theine (though very little). 



4) Stems and roots also contain a moderate amount of 

 theine though its percentage is considerably lower than in the 

 leaves. 



5) Leaves contain the largest amount of theine, its quan- 

 tity being nearly proportional to the development of the leaves. 



6) No essential increase of theine was noticed by the ap- 

 plication of sodium nitrate, making it also very probable that 



