488 



MAENO. 



the living cells, and such may also be the case with amido- 

 sulphonic acid taken up by the plants. 0 ' 



NH 2 COOH NH 2 S0 2 OH 



Carbamic acid. Amido-sulphonic acid. 



In all my experiments with whole plants, young branches 

 and isolated leaves, I used a I p. m. or 0.5 p. m. amido-sulphonic 

 acid solution in the form of the calcium salt. (2> To these solutions 

 were further added 0.05 % mono-potassium phosphate, 0.05 °/o 

 magnesium sulphate and 0.2% calcium sulphate. The control- 

 solution contained in place of amidosulphonate, an equal amount 

 of ammonium sulphate. 



At the same time one or more of the plants were also placed 

 in distilled water. 



We will call for the sake of abbreviation the plants in the 

 solution containing the amidosulphonate (A) ; those in ammonium 

 sulphate (B), and the plants in distilled water (C). 



I. Experiments zvith Whole Plants. 



Barley plants were taken carefully from the field on the 19th 

 February and after carefully washing the roots, they were placed 

 in the solutions mentioned. The result is seen from the following 

 table : 





Length of plants at 

 the beginning. 



Length of plants 

 after 9 days. 



Water absorbed in 

 6 days. 



A 



24.5 cm. 



24.5 cm. 



46 c. c. 



B 



24 0 „ 



25.0 „ 



105 „ 



C 



21.0 „ 



23-0 „ 



120 „ 



The plant (A) appeared so much damaged by the withering of 

 the leaves on the 9th day that complete death set in two days 

 later ; the chlorophyl of the younger leaves had turned yellow 

 before they succumbed. While no traces of new rootlets were to 

 be observed in the plant (A), the control plants which remained 

 healthy for a long time had developed them in great numbers. 



( 1 ) According to an observation of Dr. Divers to whom thanks are due for having 

 provided our laboratory with a large amount of amidosulphonic acid, only the am- 

 monium salt of this acid is easily hydrolysed in aqueous solution. 



(2) In a few cases I also used the sodium salt with the same results. 



