CONSUMPTION OF ASPARAGINE IN NUTRITION. IQ7 



and others, and finally determining the amount of asparagine 

 still present, by crystallisation, according to E. Schulzc's method. (,) 

 Either methyl alcohol, glycerol, or glucose was used as organic 

 nutrient, in solution along with calcium sulphate. (2) Every 

 seventh or eighth day, this solution was replaced for a day by 

 one containing 0.5 per mille each of the two potassium phos- 

 phates, and of hydrated magnesium sulphate, so as to furnish 

 the necessary mineral matters. The cotyledons were cut off at 

 the beginning of the experiment, in order to prevent further 

 formation of asparagine by decomposition of the reserve proteids. 

 A control experiment was made at the same time with soya 

 shoots kept in water, in which an asparagine determination was 

 made just before the other shoots were placed in their nutrient 

 solutions, and again in others at the time when the shoots under 

 investigation were analysed. 



The soya-beans were soaked in water on March 7th, sown 

 on moist saw-dust next day, and kept in the dark. In four days, 

 at rather low temperatures, the seeds had germinated and the 

 roots had reached the length of 2-3 cm. At this time I tested 

 the tips of several roots microscopically for asparagine and found 

 only doubtful traces; but when the roots had become 6 cm. long 

 the presence of a moderate quantity was easily recognised. At 

 this time the young plants were placed in water on a wire net. 



After the length of the entire plants had reached 20-27 cm> 

 and the stem and the root had been found to be rich in asparagine, 

 by microscopical tests, a portion of the shoots was placed on April 

 1., (a) in a 1 % solution of methyl alcohol mixed with of its 

 volume of saturated gypsum solution, (b) in glycerol' 3 ' solution 

 of 1 %, with gypsum, and (c) in glucose solution, the cotyledons 

 of all the shoots having now been removed. 



Whenever the solutions became turbid from bacterial growth, 

 they were renewed at once. When the hypocotylous part 

 of the stem had reached about 30 cm. in length, growth seemed 



(1) Landw, Jahrbikh., 1888, p. 688 and 701; also 1880, p. 14. 



(2) In some trials I made use of sodium acetate and tartrate, but not with 

 satisfactory results, perhaps because the conditions were not favourable. 



(3) Preliminary experiments had convinced me that a solution of 10 0/0 or even 

 of 5 % glycerol is not adapted for the further development of the plant. Indeed, in 

 the 10 0/0 solution the shoots died after 2 days. 



