Self- digestion of the Endosperm of some Graminaceae. 455 
The greatest evacuation occurred about the i6th-i8th day, as in 
the normal germination of the whole seed. Chloroform does not entirely 
stop, but greatly retards, the self-emptying of the endosperm. 
Having obtained the latter result, one wished to see if amylase could, 
at the expense of a pre-existing zymogen, increase in the endosperm cells 
even when every trace of vitality in these was utterly destroyed, which 
would give rise to similar results to those spoken of above. 
I give some experiments in full : — 
I. 100 seeds of Mais quarantine* (dry weight 30-5 gm.) after forty-eight 
hours’ soaking were deprived of scutella and embryos, and were then well 
pounded and mixed with 100 c.c. 20 per cent, glycerine and some chloroform. 
Juice A. 
The scutella and embryos were pounded separately with similar 
additions of glycerine and chloroform. Juice B. 
The juices were left to digest at 18 0 C. in darkness. From time to time 
the reducing sugar and amylase were determined, the latter by treating for 
one hour at 56° C. 10 c.c. of juice with 10 c.c. 2 per cent, soluble starch 
— prepared after Lintner’s method (’86) — with the addition of 1 c.c. of 
Ai hydrochloric acid. 
Date. 
A. 
B. 
Sugar in 5 c.c. 
Amylase of 5 c.c. 
Sugar in 5 c.c. 
A mylase of 5 c.c. 
CuO mg. 
CuO mg. 
CuO mg. 
CuO mg. 
April 13 
17 
traces 
72 
42-5 
„ 17 
67 
2-3 
130 
5 I# ° 
„ 30 
30 
219 
432 
684.0 
II. 100 seeds of Quarantine) Mais (dry weight 29-28 gm.) were deprived 
of the scutella and embryos after forty-eight hours’ soaking. The endo- 
sperms were well pounded with the addition of 25 c.c. glycerine, and 25 c.c. 
chloroform water. Juice A. 
The scutella and embryos were treated separately in the same way. 
Juice B. Digestion at 20°-25° C. 
Date. 
A. 
B. 
Sugar in 5 c.c. 
Amylase of 5 c.c. 
Sugar in 5 c.c. 
Amylase of 5 c.c. 
May 4 
» * * 
June 5 
CuO mg. 
trace 
184 
116.96 
1 
CuO mg. 
20 
98.8 
182.8 
CuO mg. 
trace 
113.52 
89.44 
CuO mg. 
9 
I4I-9 
19.68 
1 
Thus one sees there was a constant increase of sugar and amylase 
in all juices ; only during the first day was the synthetic power of the 
enzyme predominant. Indeed, reducing sugars were not found in the 
