New combe . — Cellulose- Enzymes. 7 5 
in the brown colour would have been between one hundred 
and one hundred and fifteen hours. 
Previous tests with the Date-endosperm-extract had shown 
such very slight action on starch that a control preparation 
was carried along with the first of the two series of experi- 
ments just described. This control consisted of a tube of 
the same starch-paste as used with the ferments, acidulated 
and chloroformed to the same degree as in the other tubes. 
After one hundred and fifteen hours at 18 0 temperature, the 
control paste showed still the blue colour with iodine. This 
result shows, therefore, that the Date-endosperm-extract is 
diastatic, though but very slightly so. 
It is thus seen that with these enzyme-solutions, all 
dissolving reserve cellulose in nearly the same time, there 
is .the greatest divergence in their behaviour toward starch, 
both in the form of grains and in solution. 
B. Action of Ferments on Reserve Cellulose when their Action 
on Starch is of like intensity for all Extracts. 
In order to study farther the relation of the power of these 
enzymes to dissolve starch to their power of dissolving reserve 
cellulose, it was decided to reduce all the ferment-solutions 
to the same degree of activity on starch, and then to test 
their action on cell-membranes. By this means among other 
conclusions it could be determined whether the inference 
drawn by Griiss 1 is correct — that only a strong solution of 
the Barley-enzyme would attack reserve cellulose. 
The very strong solutions of Lupinus- extract and of 
Phoenix-cndosperm-cxtract having been found to act the 
most feebly and almost equally on starch, the three other 
extracts employed were brought through dilution to the 
strength of these two, by many tests with starch- paste. 
The paste was prepared by Lintner’s 2 method, and some 
1 Ueber das Verhalten des diastatischen Enzyms in der Keimpflanze : Jahrb. fur 
wiss. Bot., xxvi (1894), 379. 
2 Jour. f. prak. Chemie, 34 (1886), 380. 
