244 
WILLIAM J. ROBBINS 
Table III 
Soluble Starch in 
Dura- 
tion in 
Days 
Original 
Starch Con- 
tent ( Mg. 
per 2o Cc. ) 
Starch Con- 
tent After Di- 
gestion (Mg. 
per 20 Cc.) 
Starch 
Digest- 
ed (Mg. 
per 20 
Cc.) 
Dry Weight 
of Myce- 
lium (Mg.) 
Mg. of 
Starch Di- 
gested per 
Mg. of Dry 
Weight 
3 drops of inoculum 
7 
I4i.9±.7 
II2.0zhI.3 
29.9 
2.5±.I 
II.9 
21 drops of inoculum .... 
7 
I4i.9d=.7 
93.6d= .9 
48.3 
2.3=h.I 
21.0 
3 drops of inoculum 
14 
I4i.9±.7 
79-7± .8 
62.2 
3-5±-i 
17.7 
21 drops of inoculum .... 
14 
i4i.9±.7 
5i.3± .8 
90.6 
3-i±.i 
29.2 
It is evident that any great diflerence in the number of spores 
used in inoculating the medium will produce considerable difference 
in the digestion, even though it may produce no effect on the de- 
tectable amount of mycelium formed. 
Influence of Inorganic Elements on the Secretion of Enzymes 
Historical 
Though considerable work has been reported by Katz, Went, 
Euler, Dox, Knudson, Kylin, and others on the relation of organic 
substances to the production and secretion of enzymes, relatively little 
has been reported on the relation of inorganic substances to the pro- 
duction and secretion of enzymes. 
Fernbach (1890) concluded that the invertase formation by yeasts 
was influenced more by the source of nitrogen than by the source of 
carbon. 
Effront (1902) states that phosphates, which influence yeast very 
favorably, are, on the contrary, unfavorable to the formation of inver- 
tase. 
Saito (1910) investigated the formation of diastase by Aspergillus 
OryzcB when grown in nutrient cultures containing either glucose, 
fructose, sucrose, maltose, galactose, lactose, or glycerol as sources 
of carbon, and either Witte's peptone, tyrosine, leucine, alanine, 
glycerol, asparagin, urea, ammonium tartrate, ammonium oxalate, 
ammonium chloride, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, di- 
hydrogen ammonium phosphate, potassium nitrate, or calcium 
nitrate as sources of nitrogen. He tested the nutrient medium for 
diastase, and if it was lacking there he examined the mycelium for its 
presence. With nitrogen supplied to the nutrient solution in organic 
combination, diastase was always produced. With ammonium 
sulfate or ammonium chloride as the source of nitrogen, diastase was 
