50 New combe. — Cellulose-Enzymes. 
in a closely allied Fungus, — an undetermined Botrytis which 
is probably a Peziza. Brown and Morris 1 , in 1890, in 
studying the germination of the Barley, observed, as others 
had before them, that the cell-membranes of the endosperm 
were thinned down before the starch-grains were corroded. 
Later experiments by these authors showed that when sections 
of a Barley-grain were laid in a simple watery extract of 
Barley-malt, or in a watery solution of the alcoholic pre- 
cipitate of the extract, the cell-membranes underwent solution 
as in normal germination. Green 2 , in 1887, supposed that 
he had obtained a weak cytohydrolytic ferment in a glycerin- 
extract of the cotyledons of Date-seedlings. Subsequently, 
however, Brown and Morris 3 could find no cellulose-dissolving 
enzyme in extract of Date-cotyledons ; and more recently 
Green 4 himself has declared that c the search for a cyto- 
hydrolyst in the Palms has not been successful.’ In 1894 
Grtiss 5 reported that sections of the Date-endosperm, after 
lying for two months in a glycerin-extract of sixty cotyledons 
of Date-seedlings, appeared corroded at the edges, and 
portions of the walls had begun to c melt.’ From the fact, 
however, that Griiss in his subsequent publications nowhere 
refers to the result of this experiment, one may infer that 
he regards it somewhat dubiously. Certain it is that we 
need stronger evidence to prove that a cytohydrolyst can 
be extracted from the Date. 
Not all kinds of cellulose are soluble in the Barley-ferment, 
but probably only hemicellulose or that which is loosely 
called reserve cellulose. Brown and Morris 6 give a number 
of plant-organs whose membranes are attacked by the 
Barley-malt-extract, and others which are not affected. 
1 The Germination of some of the Gramineae : Jour. Chem. Soc. Lond., 57, 
p. 497. 
2 On the Changes in the Proteids in the Seed which accompany Germination : 
Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond., 178B, 37. 
8 The Germination of some Gramineae : Jour. Chem. Soc. Lond., 5 7, p. 497. 
4 On Vegetable Ferments: Ann. of Bet. vii. p. 94. 
5 Ueber die Einwirkung der Diastase-Fermente auf Reservecellulose ; Ber. d. d. 
b. Gesellsch., xii, Generalver., Hft., p. 60. 
6 L. c. 
