174  A  Study  of  Starch  Grains.  {AmAp™^mrm' 
THE  STUDY  OF  STARCH  GRAINS  AND  ITS  APPLICA- 
TION.1 
By  Henry  Kraemer. 
The  object  of  bringing  this  paper  to  the  attention  of  the  National 
Pure  Food  and  Drug  Congress  is  two-fold.  While  it  has  primarily 
to  do  with  some  studies  that  were  made  preliminary  to  an  examina- 
tion, which  was  requested  of  the  writer  several  years  ago,  by  Prof. 
J.  U.  Lloyd,  on  the  subject  of  flour  and  its  adulterations,  it  is 
given  at  this  time  to  indicate  the  necessity  of  the  co-operation  of  the 
specialist  in  biological  work  with  the  chemist  in  determining  the 
standards  of  purity  of  drugs  and  foods. 
The  compounds  that  man  extracts  from  the  plant,  or  which  make 
a  plant  useful  to  him  as  food,  are  likewise  food  compounds  for  the 
use  of  the  plant.  These  food  elements  are  only  to  be  found  as  pro- 
ducts of  constructive  metabolism  and  are  sooner  or  later  used  by  the 
plant  in  building  up  new  cells,  etc.  These  highly  elaborated  and 
complex  food  products  are  invariably,  at  one  time  or  other,  stored 
by  the  plant  in  some  one  of  its  members.  Naturally  enough,  the 
place  of  storage  is  dependent  upon  the  surroundings  of  the  plant.  In 
the  plants  of  the  hot  and  burning  deserts  they  are  stored  either  in 
roots  (as  asafcetida),  or  stems  (as  cacti),  or  leaves  (as  in  the  century 
plant).  In  the  plants  of  the  temperate  regions  the  rhizome  or  leaf 
scales  or  leaf  buds  contain  this  nutriment.  It  may  be  further  said 
that  all  plants  provide  their  offspring — whether  seeds  or  spores — 
with  enough  nutriment  to  sustain  them  until  they  can  provide  for 
themselves.  In  some  cases  food  is  also  contained  in  special  parts  to 
assist  fertilization  in  the  flowers  and  dissemination  of  the  seed. 
Almost  all  of  the  food  materials  which  man  obtains  from  the 
plant  kingdom  are  obtained  from  these  reserve  supplies.  They  may 
be  found  in  tuberous  roots  (as  sweet  potato),  tubers  (white  potato), 
leaf  scales  (as  onion),  bud  scales  (as  asparagus),  fruits  (as  tomatoes, 
bananas),  or  seeds  (as  peas,  corn,  wheat,  etc.).  It  may  also  be  said 
that  whenever  these  food  supplies  are  contained  in  the  plant  they  are 
frequently  naturally  protected  (as  shown  by  the  investigations  of 
Stahl)  by  means  of  principles  that  are  poisonous  to  the  animal  world. 
In  some  cases  by  the  process  of  cultivation  and  selection,  these  prin- 
ciples may  be  increased  or  diminished  according  to  the  treatment. 
1  Address  to  the  Pure  Food  and  Drug  Congress,  Washington,  D.  C,  January, 
1899. 
