70 New combe. — Cellulose- Enzymes. 
chamber at a temperature of 33 0 , in chloroform-vapour. The 
walls of the cotyledonary cells became wholly hyaline in 
four to five days. One set of preparations was kept for 
forty-eight days, the Date-ferment being renewed twice each 
week. After a period of twenty-nine days, the middle lamella 
throughout the section seemed dissolved, except for a middle, 
indistinct, granular line. The inner lamellae were very little 
swollen, but were very transparent and apparently poor in 
substance. At the end of forty-eight days, when the observa- 
tion was concluded, the section was allowed to dry. There- 
upon the walls shrunk to about one-fifth their first thickness, 
showing certainly a great loss of substance. There is little 
doubt that the whole wall was dissolved at the edges of the 
sections, though this was not demonstrated as with other 
ferments. This conclusion is inferred from the similarity in 
behaviour of these Lupin-walls when treated with the Date- 
ferment, and when treated with those of Hordeum , Aspergillus , 
and Lupinus where entire solution is certain. 
With these tests as elsewhere, controls were used, sections 
of Lupin-cotyledon being immersed in water acidulated to 
•05 °/ o with hydrochloric acid, and the preparations kept at 
33 0 temperature. There was a slight swelling of the walls, 
but even after weeks no such hyaline condition appeared as 
in the Date-extract solution. 
This same extract of Date-endosperm was also tested with 
sections of Date-endosperm. The endosperm was softened 
somewhat by soaking for two or three days in water, and 
rather large transverse sections were taken. These were 
suspended by means of a thread in a little vial of the extract 
solution, in the bottom of which was kept a drop of chloro- 
form. The vial was corked and placed in an oven at 33 0 
temperature. Microscopic examination was not made for 
thirty days. During this period the liquid remained free 
from Bacteria and Moulds, and transparent except for a very 
little cloud in the bottom of the vial. The sections had 
noticeably grown translucent toward the end of the period. 
Microscopic examination showed the same appearance 
