45 2 Bruschi. — Researches on the Vitality and 
could not observe any corrosion of the starch grains at first. He also 
stated that diastase does not diffuse in the liquid, but that it continues 
to increase slowly up to the eighteenth day, so that, at the end, the starch 
grains are partially corroded and dissolved. The corrosion begins about the 
eighth day and increases till the eighteenth, as happens in normal germina- 
tion. The increase of diastase in the isolated endosperm may be regarded 
as a proof of the vitality of this tissue stronger than that afforded by 
Hansteen’s experiments, because, as Linz observes, even if the question 
were one of dead amylases, one would still have the phenomena on which 
Pfeffer insists. Haberlandt had previously remarked the importance of 
removing the products of amylosis, because he had noticed that if the 
embryo of Rye was cut off right to the scutellum no evacuation occurred, 
while it did happen if a stump of growing root was left. Under similar 
conditions Haberlandt only obtained an incipient dissolution in Maize, and 
he explained it by admitting that, in spite of the supposed secretion of 
diastase by the nitrogenous layer, the isolated endosperms did not empty 
themselves in his experiments. 
Linz objects that it is not true, as Haberlandt states, that the dis- 
solution begins from the periphery in all reserve organs, and he observes 
that the detached aleurone layer corrodes starch because it contains broken 
cells which allow diastase to diffuse out. Hansteen had, in the meantime, 
found that endosperms deprived of the aleurone layer and fixed on plaster, 
dissolve their starch. So, as Linz observes, one could believe that amylase 
had already migrated from the aleurone layer, had Linz himself not shown 
that diastase also increases in the isolated endosperm. 
When Griiss, in a series of papers (’93, ’94, ’95, ’96), attempted to 
support Haberlandt’s views, and rather brought confusion than light 
into this intricate question, Puriewitsch (’98) by Pfeffer’s advice, repeated 
Hansteen’s experiments on Wheat, Rye, Barley, Rice, Tetragonolobus 
piirpureus , Phoenix dactylifera. He put them upon little plaster columns 
immersed in 200 c.c. water, with the addition generally of a cubic centimetre 
of 5 per cent, solution of phosphoric acid, or in a solution of -5 per cent. 
KH 2 P0 4 . Thence followed a notable corrosion of the starch grains, and the 
reducing substances diffused in the external liquid. The experiment was 
carried on for several days at 25 °- 27 ° C. The starch corrosion began near 
the scutellum and proceeded towards the middle of the endosperm. Accord- 
ing to Puriewitsch the temperature hastens the evacuation because it 
increases respiration and accelerates the action of the diastase. Also 
he noticed that an accumulation of digestion products prevents the final 
emptying ; hence he generally used a considerable quantity of water. In 
the outside liquid reducing substances were found, which increased when 
the liquid was boiled with dilute sulphuric acid. The quantity of non- 
reducing sugar gradually lessened as evacuation went on ; hence he thinks 
