Can Old Leaves of Plants Produce Asparagine 
by Starvation? 
BY 
T. Miyaehi, Nögakushi. 
It has been asserted that only young plants or growing parts 
of plants, as germinating seeds or buds, can produce asparagine 
by decomposition of proteids. 
As it seemed to me of some interest to test the validity of 
this assertion, I selected, on the ist October, some old leaves of 
Pceonia albiflora , which by some brown spots clearly showed 
incipient decay. 
A portion was directly dried at ioo° C, and served for the 
determination of total nitrogen, protein nitrogen, and asparagine 
nitrogen. On the same day, another portion was very loosely 
placed in a glass vessel, containing a little water, and covered 
by a glass plate. From time to time fresh air was introduced. (1) 
The microscopical examination, repeatedly carried on, re¬ 
vealed a gradual disappearance of the starch granules from the 
mesophyll (the epidermis cells were free from it at the beginning), 
and also a gradual decrease of the active albumin, stored up in 
the vacuoles, as the test, made with caffeine, indicated. (2) 
On the 15th October, the leaves were dried, all brown 
dead portions being first removed. Active albumin was still pre¬ 
sent in the healthy parts, although in much smaller quantity than 
at the beginning ; but soluble passive albumen could not be 
found. (3) 4 
The results were as follows :— 
Fresh leaves. Starved leaves. 
Total nitrogen. 
Protein nitrogen. 
(I) The mean temperature was I7.68°C; the maximum 25.4 0 , and the minimum 
(2) Cf. this Bulletin vol. II. No. 2 and 4. 
(3) I crushed some of the leaves with some water, filtered and heated the filtrate 
with a little nitric acid, but no precipitate was obtained. 
(4) From this relative increase of nitrogen, it follows that 6.70 per cent of the origin¬ 
al dry matter were consumed in the respiration process. 
