Germination of Helianthus annuus . 723 
amount of sugar is at its maximum, the total sugar and cellulose amount to 
0*98 gram, a gain of o*68 gram, and the proteid nitrogen x5*5 amounts 
to 1 gram, a loss of 0*3 gram. If the protein loss of 0*3 gram had been used 
entirely for the production of carbohydrate with the formation of carbon- 
free nitrogen waste products, it would not be sufficient to produce the 
amount of carbohydrate shown in the o-68 gram increase. Moreover, we 
know from the work of Frankfurt 1 that asparagin and glutamin are present 
to the amount of 4-05 % of the dry weight of the seedling, and associated 
with these two compounds are other carbon-containing nitrogen-compounds 
so that evidently much of the proteid-free nitrogen is in that form. 
The only possible source of the sugar, then, is the oil, but how sugar is 
formed from this is not known. So far, no intermediate products between 
the oil and carbohydrate have been isolated. The various theories in 
regard to the manner in which oil is converted into sugar are mentioned in 
the historical review. It seems evident that a further knowledge of this 
problem can only be attained by a more detailed study of the oil and the 
products which are derived from it during the period of germination. 
Investigators have all been of the opinion that oil is converted into 
carbohydrate during the germination of oily seeds, but the part of the 
seedling where this takes place is in dispute. 
Schmidt, 2 in his extensive experiments on the transportation of oil in 
plants, worked with the seedling of the sunflower amongst others. He 
believed that in the germination of this plant the oil was transported as such 
to the different parts of the seedling and that there it was broken up to 
form the materials necessary for the plant. He based his conclusions on 
the facts that the hypocotyls and roots contain considerable quantities of 
neutral fat, and that the oil present in the seedling has a relatively small 
amount of acid. If the oil is hydrolysed and transported in the form of 
fatty acids from the cotyledons to the hypocotyls and roots, its per cent, of 
acid would be much higher than it is. 
Schmidt found that the cell-walls of plants were permeable to oil in the 
presence of free fatty acid, and that the greater the quantity of acid the 
more readily did the oil permeate the cell membranes. His theory, then, 
that oil can be transported as such to these parts is based upon experiments 
which seem conclusive that such transportation is possible. 
Certain authors hold that the oil in the cotyledons is broken up into 
free fatty acid and glycerine and then transported to the parts where it is 
needed, either as the free acid or as soap, or that it is broken down into 
carbohydrate in the cotyledons and transported to the growing parts in that 
form. The oil present in the hypocotyls and roots they regard as a trans¬ 
formation product of the materials which have been brought there in excess. 
The transportation of oil as such to the growing regions and its de- 
1 1. c. 2 1. c. 
