The amino acid composition of 16-hr 6N HCI hydrolysates of three qualities of commercially classified wools has now been determined using the technique of Moore and Stein (1951). In this paper the results obtained on samples of Merino 70's and Corriedale 56's wool are compared with those previously reported for Merino wool of 64's quality. The overall pattern of the amino acid composition of the three wools is similar although small variations between the wools are observed with some of the amino acids.

The relationship between grain morphology and chemistry and the practical realities of milling, flour yield, dough properties and baking behaviour, are stressed and explained. The quality requirements of flours intended for bread-baking, noodle-making and for other industrial purposes are listed and discussed.

Protein fractions were extracted from endosperm isolated from developing grains of Gabo, Insignia, and Dural varieties of wheat. The changes in total nitrogen and in the distribution of nitrogen in the various extracts were studied.

Several mature grass seeds (Triticum aestivum L., Avena sativa L., Andropogon sorghum Brot., Echinochloa utilis Ohwi & Yabuno, and Lolium perenne L.) were fixed and embedded in glycol methacrylate. Thin (1-2 p.m) sections were examined by light microscopy after staining specifically for arginine residues or basic proteins. The aleurone protein bodies of all seeds stained intensely by these methods but there was considerable variation in concentration and organization of the argininerich basic proteins in endosperm tissue of the various seeds. Amino acid analysis was used to confirm the histochemical differences in basic amino acid concentration between the aleurone layer and endosperm of T. aBstivum.

The amino acid composition of a protein component of Merino 64's quality wool, which moves as a single peak on electrophoresis in alkaline thioglycollate solutions, has been determined. The results, which are summarized in Table 1, show that the purified protein fraction contains more aspartic acid, glutamic acid, leucine, lysine, and amide nitrogen, and less cystine, proline, serine, and tryptophan, than the parent wool from which it was extracted.