There are in the literature many records concerning the occurrence of asparagine in plants. These records refer chiefly to legumes, although other plants, too, were found to contain that amino acid. Thus, as early as 1867, Beyer (ly found asparagine in seedlings of the yellow lupine while von Gorup-Besanez {3, 4) reported its occurrence in vetch seedlings. The finding of Beyer was corroborated by Schulze (14) y by Schulze, and Umlauft (21)j as well as by Schulze and Barbieri (17), while the report of von Gorup-Besanez was confirmed by Schulze, Steiger, and Bosshard (22). From the extensive work of Schulze and his collaborators we know also that asparagine is found in potato tubers (16), young lucern plants (15), oat plants (22), etiolated soy-bean seedlings (18), asparagus, celery, dahlia bulbs (1Ö), and other plants (18). Frankfurt has also reported the occurrence of asparagine in the wheat embryo (2). Of the cereals only the wheat embryo and young oat plants have been reported to contain asparagine, as far as the writer is aware. After it had been shown in a previous paper (9) that a great part of the proteins of the maize kernel is converted into amino acids, polypeptides, and other degradation products by the process of germination, it was of interest to find out the exact nature of the individual cleavage products, since the latter differ from each other in many respects from the standpoint of nutrition and physiology. It was to acquire this additional information that the present investigation was undertaken. In it the occurrence of asparagine and vernin in etiolated corn seedlings is reported.

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