4 86 



ISHIZUKA. 



IV. Experiments with Seeds. 



Seeds of barley and radish, six in number were soaked in 

 2 °/o solutions of the neutral sodium salts for 2 days, then placed 

 on moistened blotting paper under a bell-jar for germination. 

 After io days two barley grains had germinated of those that had 

 been treated with the maleate, three of those with the furnarate 

 and five of the control grains soaked in common water : of the 

 radish seeds all had germinated within 8 days, but the control 

 seeds already within 4 days. 



V. Experiments with Algae. 



Analogous experiments were made with filaments of Spiro- 

 gyra which were placed in I °/o neutral solution of the sodium 

 salts of both acids : the microscopical examination after 4 hours 

 showed that about half the cells had been killed by the sodium 

 maleate, while only very few in the furnarate : after 18 hours all 

 cells in the former solution had been killed, their chlorophyll 

 bodies had lost their normal shape, and the cytoplasm had been 

 much contracted, while in the latter solution about half the cells 

 were still alive ; it took here 40 hours to kill them all. 



VI. Experiments with Aquatic Animals. 



The organisms principally observed were infusoria, rotatoria, 

 and copepoda. 



All these remained alive in 1 p. m. solutions for several days; 

 but in 5 p. m. solutions the)' were killed in the sodium maleate after 



1 hour 20 min., while in the furnarate after 8 hours : most copepoda 

 and rotatoria died in the former in 45 min., in the latter after 



2 hours 3 min. We observe, therefore, in all the cases described 

 here, that maleic acid shows a more poisonous action tlian fumaric, 

 another interesting instance demonstrating the sensibility of the 

 protoplasm towards stereo-isomeric bodies. 



