1152 Stoward.—A myloclastic Secretory Capacities of the 
Comparison of the results shown in Tables XXII and XXIII above, with 
those of Tables XII, XIV, and XVI, demonstrates clearly that the 
augmentative capacity of anaesthetized inner endosperms is just as great, if 
not greater than that of inner endosperms not exposed to the action of the 
reagents mentioned. The rather higher results afforded by the chloroform 
experiments appear to suggest that this agent exercises a stimulative 
action. 
A similar comparison made with reference to endosperms (see Tables XII, 
XIV, and XVI), on the other hand, shows that the effect of anaesthetizing 
these objects is to lower their amyloclastic augmentative capacities. 
The results of experiments with anaesthetized inner endosperms offer 
a distinct contrast to those yielded by the similarly treated embryos and 
aleurone layers in the experiments described in Section IV, while those 
derived from experiments with anaesthetized endosperms coincide with 
the experimental results referred to, in that there is a distinct lowering of 
the output of amylase. 
The behaviour of the embryo, aleurone layer, and endosperm under 
the conditions described, which induce ultimate disorganization of the vital 
functions of the secretory tissues, is that of a living organism or tissue ; that 
of the inner endosperm, on the contrary, can hardly be ascribed to a tissue 
which consists indubitably of living units. 
The view advanced by the author , based on these experiments , is that 
the inner endosperm of barley represents for the most part at least a nondiving 
tissue. 
The amounts of amylase found in the culture media of both the above 
series of experiments, it will'be observed, are practically of the same order 
of magnitude if we exclude Experiment 3, Table XXIII. 
This fact is significant because it shows that the direct and ultimate 
result of the action of these anaesthetics is to suppress completely the 
secretory powers of the aleurone layer, and to reduce the amyloclastic 
augmentative capacity of the endosperm to the level of that possessed by 
the inner endosperm. Accompanying this is the low production of reducing 
sugars in medium and objects (see Tables XXII, XXIII, and XV), 
and further, the important fact must be noted that in the endosperm 
experiments the starch grains of the endosperms , just as in the case of inner 
endosperms, show absolutely no signs of erosion, which , as we have repeatedly 
seen when the aleurone-layer secretory function is not interfered with, is the 
constant and invariable accompaniment of its activity. 
The aleurone layer, moreover, is only removable from the subjacent 
tissue in these cases (endosperms) with difficulty, and its margins do not 
exhibit the conspicuous brown colour, both of which features afford fairly 
reliable means of deciding whether or not this tissue has been actively 
secreting. 
