EFFECTS OF ACID AND ALKALINE SOLUTIONS UPON PLANTS 433 
It is fairly well known that the final equilibrium is not the same 
in the case of enzyme action as with acids or bases. During the 
catalytic reactions a number of intermediate compounds arise. The 
hydrolytic processes are carried farther by acids than by enzymes, 
and they bring about the greatest changes in materials and in energy 
transformations, probably owing to diffusion of the products of the 
reaction. The effects of alkalies are variable, due in large measure to 
the alteration of the catalyst itself by the reaction, i. e., through the 
combined effect of neutralization and the production of salts with the 
Table XII 
Transpiration and Growth of Tomato Cuttings in KOH w/800 with Various 
Equimolecular Salt Solutions 
Values in grams for 20 days 
Quantity of Water 
Gain or 
Extent of 
Loss in 
Weight 
Chemical 
Weight 
of Roots 
Sc 
)lution 
Ab- 
Tran- 
Changes 
within 
Tissues 
sorbed 
spired 
Retained 
of Plants 
I. 
H2O 
32.250 
30.680 
1-570 
1. 140 
-0.430 
0.185 
KOH 
w/800 
2. 
56.130 
53-840 
2.290 
1.950 
-0.340 
0.410 
3- 
KOH 
w/800 
+ 
KCl n/800 
32.310 
30.965 
1-345 
1.220 
-0.125 
0.160 
4- 
KOH 
njSoo 
NaCl n/800 
66.710 
64.000 
2.710 
2.520 
— 0.190 
0.480 
5- 
KOH 
w/800 
+ 
CaCl2 n/800. . . . 
67.700 
64.740 
2.960 
2.175 
-0.785 
0.440 
6. 
KOH 
n/800 
+ 
K2SO4 w/800. ... 
44.690 
33-050 
1.640 
1.420 
— 0.220 
0.310 
7. 
KOH 
w/800 
+ 
Na2S04 n/800. .. 
40.030 
38.480 
1-550 < 
• 1-390 
— 0.260 
0.250 
8. 
KOH 
w/800 
+ 
CaS04 w/800 
80.180 
76.575 
3-595 
3-265 
-0.330 
0.830 
9. 
KOH 
w/800 
+ 
KNO3 n/800.... 
44.970 
42.745 
2.225 
1-750 
-0.475 
0.260 
10. 
KOH 
n/Soo 
+ 
NaN03 n/800... 
58.630 
56.505 
2.125 
1.850 
-0.275 
0.300 
11. 
KOH 
n/800 
+ 
CaNOs n/800. . . 
66.170 
63.270 
2.900 
2.640 
— 0.280 
0.460 
12. 
KOH 
n/800 
+ 
C12H22O11 «/8oo. 37.270 
25.040 
1.230 
1.815 
+ 0.585 
0.530 
13- 
KOH 
n/800 
+ 
C6H12O6 n/800. . 
53-850 
51-520 
2.330 
2.030 
— 0.300 
0.510 
14. 
KOH 
n/800 
+ 
C2H5NO2 n/800. 
62.360 
59-560 
1.800 
2.775 
+ 0.975 
0.700 
by-products of the .reaction. Hydrolytic and synthetic reactions 
induce the conditions which favor the retention of water and underlie 
irregularities in growth as well as the maintenance of a constant weight 
over long periods of time. 
Water not retained in this manner is usually allowed to escape as 
transpirational water loss. The simple fact that the quantity ab- 
sorbed is equivalent under certain conditions to the amount transpired 
does not indicate that the mere consumption of water leads to growth. 
The growth of plants and their distribution depends in large part upon 
the amount of water retained within the plants, but the degree of the 
water-holding capacity (e. g., xerophytism in plants and the sue- 
