196 Green. — On the Occurrence of Vegetable Trypsin 
ferments or enzymes. The action of diastase in converting 
starch into sugar, established by Baranetzki \ has been shown 
to be intimately concerned alike with the ordinary processes 
of nutrition of the adult plant, and with the phenomena of the 
germination of seeds and tubers, and further to be the means 
in some cases of starting the growth of the pollen-tube 2 . Side 
by side with diastase other similar bodies have been identified, 
by whose agency cellulose 3 and inulin 4 undergo similar 
transformation. The nitrogenous reserve materials deposited 
in temporary reservoirs have also been shown to be called 
into active consumption by other members of the same group, 
while glucosides and oils have also special enzymes to attack 
them. 
The ferments which have the property of digesting nitro- 
genous substances like fibrin and albumin have been less 
conspicuous than diastase, but their existence has been clearly 
established by Reess and Will 5 in the leaves of Drosera ; by 
Gorup-Besanez 6 and by Vines 7 in the pitchers of various 
up with tough meat and stewed together. He is clear about the fact of its making 
tough meat tender. I have never tried it, but have tried the milk of the fig, and 
it does soften tough meat.’ 
Dr. Bonavia also sent to Kew seeds of a very pretty gourd. He remarked : — 
‘ They are new to me, although I have been looking out for such things for the 
last twenty-eight years. They were sent to me by Major Buller, police officer, 
Gouda Oudh. He says they are largely grown in the Nepal Terai.’ 
They turned out to be a form of the pumpkin ( Cucurbita maxima , Duch.). 
The Kachree fruited rather sparingly at Kew, and it was some little time before 
fruits were available for examination. However, in 1891, all the available 
material was placed in the hands of Professor Green. By an unfortunate mistake 
Dr. Bonavia’s pumpkin was sent him in the first instance instead of the Kachree. 
It is interesting to observe that the results of its examination were purely negative. 
In the Kachree, as will be seen, he had no difficulty in detecting a tryptic ferment. 
It is, however, clear that this is not characteristic of the Cucurbitaceae generally. 
W. T. T. D. 
1 Die starkeumbildenden Fermente in der Pflanze, 1878. 
a Green, On the occurrence of diastase in pollen. Brit. Assoc. Reports, Cardiff, 
1891. 
3 Brown and Morris : Journal of the Chem. Soc., lvii. June, 1890. 
4 Green: this Journal, vol. i. 1888. 
5 Bot. Zeit., Oct. 29, 1875. 
" Ber. d. deutsch. Chem. Gesellsch., May, 1876. 
7 Journal Linn. Soc. Botany, vol. xv. 
