FORMATION OF ASPARAGINIC IN PLANTS. 



421 



a, 0.2% solution of ammonium phosphate. 



b, 0.4% ,, ,, sodium nitrate. 



Time of experiments, Nov. 23rd-28th. 

 Total solution applied : 



Ammonium phosphate 200 cc. 

 Sodium nitrate 200 cc. 



After drying, the entire plants were analyzed. 

 Table XVII. In 100 parts of dry matter : — 



Plants treated with 



Ammonium phosphate 

 0.47 

 2.21 



Sodium nitrate 

 0.42 

 2.00 



Control plants 

 Asparagine nitrogen 0.39 



Asparagine 1.85 

 II. Experiment. 



The plants were carefully removed from the field and placed 

 in glass cylinders, each containing 500 cc - of the following solu- 

 tions, and kept in the glass house : 



a, 0.2% solution of ammonium chloride. 



b, ,, ,, ,, sodium nitrate. 



c, distilled water. 



Duration of experiment : 7 days (Nov. 30th — Dec. 7th). 

 Temperature : — Min. 3°C. ; Max. 33°C. 

 Total nitrogen absorbed by ; — 



a, the plants in ammonium chloride was 0.0462 grams = 



0.$% of dry matter/ 1 ' 



b, the plants in sodium nitrate w as 0.0437 grams = 0.59% 



of dry matter/ 2 ' 

 The plants remained normal and the solutions quite clear. 

 The analysis, for which the entire plants were used, yielded the 

 following results : — 



In 100 parts of dry matter : — 



Plants treated with 



Table XVIII. 



Total nitrogen 

 Albuminoid nitrogen 

 Asparagine nitrogen' 3 ' 

 Nitrogen in nitrates 



Original 



Control 



y 



Ammonium 



Sodium 



plants 



plants 



chloride 



nitrate 



4.60 



4 44 



483 



4.7S 



1.65 



163 



1.86 



i-35 



O.28 



0.71 



0.86 



0.95 



I.04 



0.36 



0.62 



0.88 



(1) Total dry matter of the plants in ammonium chloride (at the end of the ex- 

 periments) was 9.328 grams. 



(2) Total dry matter of the plants in sodium nitr ite (at the end of the experiments) 

 was 7.47 grams. 



(3) As I had suspected the presence of some organic bases like arginine, etc , I em- 

 ployed first phospho-tungstic apd to remove them. Indeed, the result for asparagine was 

 then considerably lower than by the usual method, while in most of the other cases, I 

 found no essential difference by the previous application of phospho-tungstic acid. 



