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passes into the germ itself and is distributed to the germ.
Now, just there we lose the reaction of the sugar ; the glucose
disappears. Now, what has happened there? First, the cel-
lular elements of this perigerm have waked up and begun
their functioning and have formed an enzyme, a digestive
body, which in this case is called diastase, and that has perco-
lated through the membrane and chemically changed this
store of starch, and these columnar cellular elements have
taken it up, and from them it passes into these ducts that
radiate through the perigerm and it is conveyed to the germ
in the form of glucose. The action of the diastase upon the
starch is to convert it into glucose and levulose, right and left
handed sugar.
Now, this is digestion—the digestion of starch, the prep-
aration for its absorption by the plant ; then it is conveyed
by these ducts into the plant. Ducts are formed in the plant
for the distribution of it to the tissues of the plant and there
we lose it. It is converted then into the protoplasm of the
plant. It undergoes another process of digestion in these
tubes. It is chemically changed again and again in its pas-
sage, and, finally, it is changed into the chemical forms of
the tissues of the plant.
This is nutrition. We find that this is chemical from
the first to the last. That this force which we call life has
the power of taking hold of inanimate matter and carrying it
through these different conversions of chemical form, tearing
down the chemical molecule and taking the material of the
simple elements of which it is composed, and changing that
into another chemical molecule and weaving it into the physi-
cal forms characteristic of the peculiar form of life.' Now this
goes on ; we may watch the growth of that from day to
day, or from hour to hour, if we choose, taking the difterent
grains and cutting them every so often, and we will find that
this store of starch is disappearing, the cells become empty
one by one, and as they become empty this plumule is grow-
ing, is increasing in size, passing on out here, and this, the
root end, elongates to pass out at the end of the grain here
(indicating), and passes on farther and farther into the earth
the tubules open to convey this store of starch to the differ-
ent parts and distribute it, and before this store is quite com-
pletely exhausted, we will find that the root end has passed
86
passes into the germ itself and is distributed to the germ.
Now, just there we lose the reaction of the sugar ; the glucose
disappears. Now, what has happened there? First, the cel-
lular elements of this perigerm have waked up and begun
their functioning and have formed an enzyme, a digestive
body, which in this case is called diastase, and that has perco-
lated through the membrane and chemically changed this
store of starch, and these columnar cellular elements have
taken it up, and from them it passes into these ducts that
radiate through the perigerm and it is conveyed to the germ
in the form of glucose. The action of the diastase upon the
starch is to convert it into glucose and levulose, right and left
handed sugar.
Now, this is digestion—the digestion of starch, the prep-
aration for its absorption by the plant ; then it is conveyed
by these ducts into the plant. Ducts are formed in the plant
for the distribution of it to the tissues of the plant and there
we lose it. It is converted then into the protoplasm of the
plant. It undergoes another process of digestion in these
tubes. It is chemically changed again and again in its pas-
sage, and, finally, it is changed into the chemical forms of
the tissues of the plant.
This is nutrition. We find that this is chemical from
the first to the last. That this force which we call life has
the power of taking hold of inanimate matter and carrying it
through these different conversions of chemical form, tearing
down the chemical molecule and taking the material of the
simple elements of which it is composed, and changing that
into another chemical molecule and weaving it into the physi-
cal forms characteristic of the peculiar form of life.' Now this
goes on ; we may watch the growth of that from day to
day, or from hour to hour, if we choose, taking the difterent
grains and cutting them every so often, and we will find that
this store of starch is disappearing, the cells become empty
one by one, and as they become empty this plumule is grow-
ing, is increasing in size, passing on out here, and this, the
root end, elongates to pass out at the end of the grain here
(indicating), and passes on farther and farther into the earth
the tubules open to convey this store of starch to the differ-
ent parts and distribute it, and before this store is quite com-
pletely exhausted, we will find that the root end has passed
86
