SECRETION OF DIASTASE BY PENICILLIUM CAMEMBERTII 247 
NaCl at a concentration of M/ioo,ooo. The amount of salt producing 
an evident effect is very small. In the case of KCl, 50 cc. (the volume 
of each culture solution) of a M/ioo,ooo solution contains about 
.000037 g- of KCl and the same concentration of NaCl contains a little 
less than .00003 That the effect of such a small amount of a neutral 
salt on the digestion of starch by a fungus could be measured might 
be doubted, if the results obtained at the end of the first week were 
not substantiated by the rCvSults obtained at the end of the second 
week. 
It can also be observed that with increasing concentration of the 
salts the amount of starch digested is decreased, with three exceptions 
— M/ioo,ooo KCl and M/iooo NaCl at the end of the first week, 
and M /looo KCl at the end of the second w^eek. None of these aberrant 
results, however, are verified in both determinations. This inhibiting 
effect of the salts on digestion is also evident when the loss per unit 
weight of fungus is considered, with the exceptions already referred to. 
It may also be noted that in every case the absolute amount of 
starch digested is less in the presence of KCl than in the corresponding 
concentration of NaCl. The same is true with respect to the amount 
of starch digested per unit of dry weight of mycelium. Two exceptions ' 
to this last statement may be noted, namely, the M/iooo and 
M/ioo,ooo concentrations at the end of the second week. 
Table V 
^2504 and Na.SOi 
Soluble Starch in 
Dura- 
tion in 
Days 
Original 
Starch Con- 
tent (Mg. 
per 20 Cc.) 
Starch Con- 
tent After Di- 
gestion (Mg. 
per 20 Cc.) 
Starch Di- 
gested (Mg. 
per 20 Cc.) 
Dry Weight 
Mycelium 
(Mg.) 
Mg. of 
Starch Di- 
gested per 
Mg of Dry 
Weight 
M/iooo K9SO4 
7 
137. 2± .9 
ii3.7d=i.i 
23-5 
3.2db.I 
7-3 
M/io,ooo K2SO4 
1 15-3 
21.0 
3.i=b.i 
6.8 
M/i 00,000 K2SO4 .... 
\ 
I39.8±i.i 
ii7.6zt3.2 
22.2 
3-0±.i 
7-4 
Water treated with 
carbon black 
7 
i37.8±i.3 
iii-5± -5 
26.3 
3-o±.i 
8.8 
M/ioo,ooo Na2S04. . . 
7 
i39.7±i-2 
ii4-9± -5 
24.8 
3-3±-i 
7-5 
M/io,ooo Na2S04 
7 
i37-i± -3 
109. ±1.1 
28.1 
3-3±-i 
8.5 
M/iooo Na2S04 
7 
i35-9± -3 
io8.3=ti.5 
27.6 
34±-i 
8.1 
M/iooo K2SO4 
15 
i37.2± .9 
78.5±i.2 
58.7 
4.0 
14.7 
M/io,ooo K2SO4 
15 
i36.3± .4 
88.2 
48.1 
4.1 
11.7 
M/i 00,000 K2SO4 
15 
I39.8±i.i 
75.6± .6 
64.2 
4.2zb.2 
15-3 
Water treated with 
carbon black 
15 
I37.8±i.3 
64-5± -8 
73-3 
4.0 
18.3 
M/ioo,ooo Na2S04 . . . 
i39.7±i-2 
76.o±i.3 
63.7 
4-3±-i 
14.8 
M/io,ooo Na2S04 
\l 
i37-i± -3 
76.411=2.4 
60.7 
3-9±-i 
15-6 
M/iooo Na2S04 
15 
i35-9± -3 
70.1 =b .9 
65.8 
4.0 
16.4 
