4 H 
Suzuki ; 
a moderate quantity of nitrates was found in all cases. A few 
drops of the juice of the plants in ammonium nitrate were left to 
dry up on an object carrier, and yielded besides some long 
needles (probably potassium nitrate), numerous asparagine cry¬ 
stals readily recognized under the microscope by their insolu¬ 
bility in cold saturated asparagine solution. 
The result of the analysis was as follows :— 
Table VI. 
In 100 parts of dry matter. 
Plants 
in 
Original plants 
(Oct. 12) 
Control plants 
(Oct. 21) 
Ammonium 
nitrate 
Sodium 
nitrate 
(stem) (roots) 
(stem) 
(stem) 
(stem) 
Asparagine nitrogen 
0.20 0.22 
0-75 
1 5 1 
0.98 
Asparagine 
O.92 i .02 
3-54 
7.06 
4.61 
We observe here that ammonium nitrate was much more 
favourable for asparagine production than sodium nitrate, and 
that the control plants kept in water contained much more aspar¬ 
agine than the original plants taken from the field, which fact may 
be due to the transformation of nitrates, already present in the 
plants, into asparagine. 
Another experiment with potato plants was made on an open 
farm. The plants 30-40 c- ' n ' high were irrigated with :— 
a, 0.1% solution of ammonium phosphate. 
b, 0.2% ,, ,, sodium nitrate. 
There was no rain-fall during the experiment, but sometimes 
the temperature dropped down to 3°C. at night. After 6 days 
(Nov. 7th—Nov. 13th), the plants were removed and the entire 
plants were used for analysis. 
Total ammonium phosphate solution applied. 300 < ‘- c * 
,, sodium nitrate ,, ,, 3oo c * c- 
Table VII. In 100 parts of dry matter. 
Plants treated with 
Original plants Ammonium phosphate Sodium nitrate 
Asparagine nitrogen 0.57 0.37 0.53 
Asparagine 2.68 1.76 2.53 
In this case we observe no increase of asparagine after the 
treatment with sodium nitrate, and even a decrease by the treat¬ 
ment with ammonium phosphate. The conditions for the forma¬ 
tion of proteids from asparagine were evidently very favourable 
and especially promoted by ammonium phosphate. 
