82 



ON THE RESERVE PROTEIN IN PLANTS. 



albiflova, which were kept for 25 days in a large glass jar con- 

 taining some water in order to secure perfect saturation of the 

 air with aqueous vapor. The vessel was covered with a glass 

 plate and exposed to a temperature of 25-30°C. in the dark. 

 The air was from time to time renewed. After 25 days the 

 leaves commenced to show black spots and the still healthy 

 part of the leaves failed in many cells to give proteosomes by 

 treatment with coffein, while in the beginning an exceedingly 

 strong reaction, especially in the epidermis-cells, had been ob- 

 served. The decrease of the amount of active albumen stands 

 evidently in close relation to the production of asparagin also 

 in this case where the amount of asparagin was increased con- 

 siderably as seen from the following result : — 





Fresh leaves. 



Starved leaves. 



Total N 



2.222 % 



2.648% 



Album. N 



1.890 „ 



1. 414 ,, 



Asparagin N 



0.219 „ 



1. 211 „ 



Total N : Aspar. N. ... 



100 : g.86 



100 : 45,72 



In order to determine whether the active albumen occurs 

 very frequently in plants, I made numerous microscopical exami- 

 nations, the results of which are shown in the following tables. 

 While a large number of plants contain in different parts active 

 albumen in the vacuole, other plants contain only passive, 

 and again others do not store up any albuminous matter at all in 

 the fully developed tissues. Such parts of plants as grow just as 

 quickly as the formation of albumen proceeds, will of course not 

 be able to store up the latter. Other plants may convert, either 

 by acids or by ferments, !) the active albumen in their vacuole, 

 as soon as it is formed, into passive. Thus, for instance, the 

 leaves of Diospyros contain neither active nor passive albumen, 

 the leaves of Vicia contain only passive albumen, while the 



1) To decide whether a ferment is the cause of this change in some plants, a 

 cold extract of leaves of Vicia Faba was left to act upon small pieces of the leaves 

 of Paeonia but no decrease of the active albumen in the cells of the latter 

 was noticed after 24 hours. Of course it may be doubtful whether a ferment 

 present could have entered easily into the living tissue. 



