412 



SUZUKI 



of the second with 0.1% solution of sodium nitrate, while those 

 of the third served as a control case. Ten days after the treatment, 

 the plants were removed from the seed bed, cl) dried, and only 

 the stems and roots used for analysis, because it has been found by 

 others that cotyledons and leaves always store up less asparagine 

 than stems and roots. 



Average height of the control plants (2) i3-3 r ni " 



,, plants in ammonium nitrate To. i c m - 

 ,, ,, plants in sodium nitrate 6.^'"- 



Average fresh weight of control plants 2.36 grams. 



,, ,, ,, of the plant in ammonium 



nitrate 1.79 grams. 



,, ,, ,, of the plant in sodium 



nitrate 1.20 grams. 



The total ammonium nitrate solution applied was 318°'°" = 

 O.0557 gram nitrogen. 



The total sodium nitrate solution applied was 322 cc- = 

 0.053 gram nitrogen. 



The aqueous extract of a portion of these plants did not show 

 a trace of ammonia, while the reaction for nitrates was obtained 

 in the plants in ammonium nitrate and sodium nitrate with Kiiop's 

 solution. 



Table IV : — In 100 parts of dry matter free from ash. 



Plants in 



Control plants Ammonium nitrate Sodium nitrate 

 Albuminoid nitrogen 2.49 2.58 2.53 



Proteids iS-59 l6 -i3 15-83 



Asparagine nitrogen 1.38 3.94 3.33 



Asparagine 6.53 18.57 15.69C) 



The same experiment was repeated later in the autumn with 

 shoots a little more developed than in the first case. 



(1) Some of the plants had been attacked by a fungus, Fnsarium La ier ilium, especi- 

 ally in the lower parts of the stems, and in the cotyledons; such plants were, of course, 

 discarded. 



(2) The better growth of the control plants in this case is evidently due to the very 

 early stage of the shoots, which contained a large quantity of soluble nutrients from the 

 cotyledons. Thus an increase of soluble nutrients had a retarding effect. In a 10 °/ 0 

 cane sugar solution, e.g , young plants will not develope so well as in one of I °/ 0 only. 



(3) The cause of the considerable production of asparagine from nitrates may in 

 this case be due to the high temperature, favouring the reduction of the nitrates by the 

 increased amount of sugar present. 



