Little is known regarding the metabolism of the Fucaceow. The chemical nature of the chief accumulation products has not yet been sufficiently investigated. In fact, prior to 1905 very little work of importance had been contributed on the products of any group of the marine alga. Even the chemical determination of the carbohydrates, for example, in some of the larger groups of algae, afforded no suggestion as to the nature of these products. More activity in this general field of work has been manifest, however, since the date referred to. Diverse views prevailed regarding the nature of the various granules which had been long detected microscopically. In the earlier literature Hansteen's ('92, '00) opinion has gener-lly dominated, by which it was claimed that the granular bodies of the cell-and particularly the larger vesicular forms-contain fucosan, a carbohydrate, which was considered the first visible product of photosynthesis. On the other hand, Crato ('92, '93) maintained, from microchemical reactions, that the larger vesicles, physodes as he called them, contained phloroglucin, or some derivative of this body. Mitther and Tollens ('04) found a methylpentosan in Fucus and Laminaria, while Koenig and Bettels ('05) among others found glucose and fructose, as well as pentoses and methyl pentoses, in Laminaria after hydrolysis. Swartz ('11) gives an extensive summary of the previous work on carbohydrate occurrence in the algae, and contributes much data on the digestion of the hemicelluloses, but she studied no brown algae. The existence of reducing sugars in Fucacece was clearly shown by Tihomirow ('10). Recently the carbohydrates have been more completely investigated by Kylin ('12, '13). Nevertheless, much remains to be done on these products, while ANN. MO. BOT. GAaD., VOL. 1, 1914 (419)