460 B ruse hi. — Researches on the Vitality and 
dark and hard at first, the usual separation of cells occurred, with a plentiful 
production of reducing sugars, which diffused in the external liquid. From 
this it may be inferred that the Rye endosperm is dead right up to the 
aleurone cells. As the hydrolysis of the walls precedes the starch hydro- 
lysis, the latter cannot be ascribed to vital activity of the cells. While in 
Barley the hemicellulose is first dissolved, and then, almost immediately, 
the cellulose as well, here the pectic substance of the middle lamella first 
disappears, and only in a very advanced stage of evacuation, when the 
starch is almost entirely dissolved, does the hydrolysis and dissolution 
of the cellulose walls and hemicellulose thickenings begin. 
As Puriewitsch does not in any way mention these dissolution processes 
of the cell-walls, which, moreover, he has also overlooked in Barley and 
Wheat, the question arose as to whether this Rye might behave differently 
from other kinds of Rye. I have to thank Professor Pirotta, who was 
able to procure for me several different kinds of Rye, from various Botanic 
Gardens, e. g. Secale cereale from the Botanic Gardens, Paris ; Secale 
cereale from the Botanic Garden. Lyons ; Secale cereale from Zuttich ; 
Secale cereale aestivum annuale from the Seed Station, Zurich ; Secale 
cereale perenne from Zurich ; Secale cereale from the Botanic Gardens, 
Marburg ; Secale montanum from Paris ; Secale montanum from Lyons ; 
Secale cereale from Utrecht, &c. In all these samples the same phenomena 
have been observed during endosperm evacuation as those mentioned above 
for the Roman Rye. Therefore there is no doubt that the Rye on which 
Puriewitsch worked must have shown the isolation of the endosperm cells. 
The following experiments show that the question is really one of 
a cytolytic enzyme : — 
A number of seeds of Rye were soaked for two days in water, and 
were then pounded and mixed with 25 c.c. water and 25 c.c. glycerine and 
thymol. 
The paste was pressed through a cloth and a portion of the juice was 
boiled in order to kill the enzymes. 
In both these juices boiled sections of Lupin cotyledons were placed, 
and the whole was set to digest at a temperature of 47°C. 
After twelve days the sections in the unboiled juice showed the hemi- 
cellulose layers of the walls decidedly corroded, while they were entirely 
unaltered in the boiled juice. 
In order to ascertain whether this enzyme proceeded from the scutellum 
or was contained in the endosperm cells themselves, two separate extracts 
of the endosperms and the rest of the seeds were made in the way above 
described. The usual boiled sections from the cotyledons of Lupin were 
put in these extracts and left to digest at 47°C. After nine days the hemi- 
cellulose thickenings were found strongly corroded in both cases. 
Sections from Rye seeds were put into the same extracts, and after 
