716 
Miller.—A Physiological Study of the 
Protein .—The per cent, of proteid-free nitrogen in the resting seed is 
low, amounting to only 0-3. The amount increases slowly at first in the 
cotyledons, but after they have reached the surface of the ground the non¬ 
protein nitrogen amounts to § of all the nitrogen present. The proteid- 
free nitrogen in the hypocotyls and roots varies from \ to f of the total 
L ength Of Time in Days. 
Fig. 14. Total Nitrogen, per cent, of dry material. 
nitrogen present in these parts. Frankfurt found that in twelve-day seed¬ 
lings of the sunflower, grown over distilled water, the glutamin and asparagin 
present amounted to 4*05 % of the dry weight of the seedlings, and that 
almost | of the total nitrogen present in the seedlings was in the form of 
these two substances and other amido-compounds. 
There is a decrease in the weight of total nitrogen from the beginning 
Length of Time in Dags . 
Fig, 15, Total Nitrogen, grams per 100 seedlings. 
of germination to Stage I, after which the total nitrogen is a constant for 
the rest of the stages examined. The loss of nitrogen at the beginning 
of germination seems to point to the fact that there is probably an oxidation 
of the proteids taking place during that period. 
The changes which take place in the proteid reserve during the germi¬ 
nation of this seedling were not examined in detail, since the problem which 
