824 Stoward.—Amyloclastic Secretory Capacities of the 
amylase found in the culture medium really represents that present initially 
in the tissue at the moment of the removal of objects from the anaesthetic 
steep solution. 
Thiee seiies of ten dorsal aleurone layers each, removed from seeds 
steeped for forty-eight hours in water, were prepared. Of them, one was 
dried at 30° for forty-eight hours, and the other two were steeped for the 
same period in a saturated aqueous solution of either chloroform or nitro¬ 
benzene contained in closed vessels. The amounts of amylase were then 
determined in the steep media and also in the steeped and unsteeped objects 
after short desiccation at 30° C. 
The results are given in the following table:— 
TABLE XI. 
Loss of Amylase by Isolated Dorsal Aleurone Layer 
during Steeping in Anaesthetic Solutions. 
Exp. Objects. 
i. 10 dorsal layers 
2 * >> >5 
3* »> ?> 
Anaesthetic steep 
solution. 
5 c.c. sat. aq. chloroform 
5 c.c. sat. aq. nitrobenzene 
Desiccated at 30° C. 
Duration 
of steep. 
48 hours 
)> 
yy 
Amylase per 20 objects 
(equivalent to mg. of Cu ) in :— 
Steep medium. Objects. 
258.5 126.6 
237.0 85.0 
- 211-0 
The general conclusions to be derived from these experiments with the 
embryo and aleurone layer may be briefly summarized ;— 
Both the embryo and aleurone 4 yer possess an amyloclastic secretory 
capacity. 
The magnitude of the aleurone layer capacity is considerably greater 
than that of the similar capacity of the embryo. 
Prolonged action of saturated aqueous solutions -of chloroform or 
nitrobenzene annihilates both the vitality and secretory functions of the 
embryo and aleurone layer. The amylase found in the culture liquids upon 
which anaesthetized objects have been placed represents merely the enzyme 
pre-existent in these objects at the commencement of the culture experi¬ 
ments. 
The secretion of amylase by the embryo and aleurone layer is notably 
influenced (1) by the inclusion in the culture substratum of certain mineral 
salts, the action of which appears to be chiefly physiological; and (2) by 
physical conditions, notably by substitution of a semi-solid for a liquid 
medium. 
IV a. The Relative Amyloclastic Secretory and Self-depletive 
Capacities of the Endosperm and the Inner Endosperm 
of Barley. 
The endosperm of barley constitutes the great mass of the resting 
mature seed and consists of an inner portion—the inner endosperm— 
composed of large irregularly isodiametric cells, in each of which there 
