4 
RODNEY H. TRUE AND W. W. STOCKBERGER 
change of color in the surface layer. The root material showed but a 
slight change of color, a grayish tint being seen rather than the reddish- 
brown color characteristic of the others. The material from the stem 
portions was slightly reddish brown, with a distinctly more intense 
color toward the upper part of the plant. This intensity further 
increased in the leaf material. The reaction still more intense in the 
capsules was exceeded by the flower buds which gave a most intense 
color. The petals and stamens were also shown by separate tests to 
be most active. Tests with litmus paper showed that the extracts 
from the petals, lower stem and roots were neutral. All others 
showed a trace of acidity. In so far as this evidence went it seemed 
to indicate that the oxidase reaction was most abundant in the 
younger, growing parts of the plant. 
The solutions of the different portions of the plant after being 
expressed from the pulp were treated with three volumes of commercial 
alcohol and briskly shaken. Precipitation was complete after several 
liours when the precipitate was filtered. This precipitate was dis- 
solved in water as far as possible but a considerable insoluble residue 
always remained. The resulting solutions when tested for the oxidase 
reaction gave distinct though not strong oxidase reactions which in 
order of intensity was nearly the reverse of the order seen in macerated 
materials after standing over night in the beakers. 
This interesting result seemed to indicate several possibilities. 
If it be assumed that the browning of the surface layer of the watery 
extract was caused by the precipitated substances responsible for the 
blue color in the guaiac tincture an apparent contradiction in the 
evidence seemed to exist here. That it may, however, be apparent 
only seemed to follow from further experiments. 
In the course of the preparation of enzyme-containing precipitates 
the ground pulp was macerated in water over night in loosely covered 
beakers. In the morning a more or less deeply colored brownish 
layer was seen at the top of the material. Portions of the solution 
which were carefully drawn off by means of a pipette from this colored 
layer and from the uncolored portion near the bottom showed a 
marked difference in their activity toward the guaiac solution. Al- 
though the color of the superficial layer seemed to indicate that marked 
oxidative activities had taken place in the region of contact with the 
air, but a very faint oxidase reaction was seen when the reagents were 
employed. On the other hand, the uncolored portion from the 
