116 ISABURO NAGAI: 
TABLE OD. Oryza sativa. 
Increase in weight by percent. 
el No. of hours steeping. AR 
I 
bo 
Solution. Ge 
Bee 
Dist. water 29.32 30.32 
1N HgCl, 29.20 30.73 
DEN SO pltos ae 20.36 21.85 
1 N COOH. COOH 19.30 21.00 
IENLONOFNCHE 20.60 21.52 
PNeK Or 07 21.41 
1 NV CuSO, 20,71 
Le biels 21.89 
There are many factors which influence the permeability and rate of 
absorption of water by the living cell. The permeability of the plasm to 
sodium chloride is greatly changed by illumination in the leaves of lime 
(TRONDLE, 1910). 'The influence of light upon the permeability of the seed 
covering of Zea Mays was tested by a number of parallel tests in light and 
darkness at the same temperature, but no appreciable difference was found. 
Nıtsson-EHLE (1914) has given an evidence of the fact that the presence 
of a red pigment in the seed coats of wheat plays an important röle in the 
water absorption and in germination. The “red” grains germinate slower 
than the “ white,” and the power of absorption of water in the former is 
also slower than in the latter. This physiological character seems to be corre- 
lated with Mendelian factors for red color. The seed which contains more 
“red factors” in its genetic constitution is slower in the rate of absorption 
of water than that which contains no or a less number of “red factors”. 
The percentage of germination is also less in the seeds which contain more 
“red factors”, and the red pigment is located in the inner layer of the 
integument. 
In the case with rice and with some varieties of maize so far examined 
by the writer, the pigment is present in the pericarp instead of the integu- 
ment, except a variety of maize which possesses a dark blue pigment in the 
aleurone layer. The absorption of water by the different varieties of maize 
