812 Stoward.—Amyloclastic Secretory Capacities of the 
and to the consideration of evidence afforded by application of these methods 
of investigation we must now turn. 
1. Cytological. Embryos, removed from seeds after adequate steeping, 
were germinated for varying periods of time in Coldewe germinators at 
laboratory temperatures, i5°C.-2o°C.; the material, after fixation, was 
embedded, microtome sections prepared, and the stained preparations 
examined and studied. 
Briefly stated, cytological study of the scutellum, and particularly of 
the columnar epithelial cells during progressive phases of germination, 
reveals the fact that these cells are, as far as cytological evidence permits 
this statement to be made, distinctly secretory in function. 
During the earlier phases of germination, 0-4 days, their cytoplasmic 
contents undergo marked changes—solubilization of specific granular inclu¬ 
sions which are probably destined to furnish enzymatic as well as nutritive 
material,—changes which are accompanied by significant and comparatively 
well-defined changes in the nucleus and its structures. 
The succeeding interval, 4-8 days, presents features which, if unsup¬ 
plemented by collateral biochemical evidence, are not so easy to follow or 
interpret. There is during this interval a gradual but complete disappear¬ 
ance of those granular contents (which various authors in other fields of 
cytological research have regarded as either enzymatic or pre-enzymatic in 
constitution) which are never renewed. Nevertheless, nuclear and cyto¬ 
plasmic activity persists, as shown by the more or less continued production 
of chromatin and nucleolar substance, and by the vacuolate condition of 
the cytoplasm. 
The final interval, 8-11 days, is marked by the gradual disorganization 
of cytoplasm and degeneration of the nucleus. 
Judged solely by the cytological results of study, the most active 
phase of secretory activity would be ascribed to the earlier phase comprised 
within the 0-4 days’ interval. 
As we shall see, the biochemical evidence to be adduced not only 
supports the original contention of Brown and Morris that the columnar 
epithelium consists of cells which are secretory in function, but helps to 
elucidate the cytological evidence in a significant manner. 
2. Biochemical. Embryos from sterilized steeped seeds were placed 
on various kinds of media, and after the lapse of definite time periods, 
either the culture medium or both culture medium and objects were inves¬ 
tigated under uniform conditions for amylase. 
Preliminary experiments in which embryos were cultivated on (1) water 
(starvation conditions), (2) cane sugar plus mineral salt solution, (3) 0-55 % 
asparagin solution, evidenced that the latter solution yielded the most 
favourable results. The amounts of amylase were exceedingly small, how¬ 
ever, and as the seed from which the embryos were derived had been steri- 
