proceedings: chemical society 263 



on protein content are similar but there is a possible first-year effect of 

 the soil. Gliadin number was very nearly the same in all. Other organic 

 constituents varied irregularly. A more marked effect of soil is to be 

 expected in the inorganic constituents, but the reverse seems to be 

 true even in this case ; for some constituents the effect of locality predomi- 

 nates, for others the data are uniform for all the samples. The effect on 

 yield was not considered. 



Discussion. M. X. Sullivan pointed out that varied treatment of 

 the same soil in neighboring fields may cause wide variations in results. 

 He further emphasized that a soil is like a living organism, and when 

 transferred from one locality to another will itself change radically. 

 Soil cannot therefore be considered a constant factor in comparative 

 experiments such as these. Berger suggested that transfusion from the 

 surrounding soil might rapidly affect the small blocks which were trans- 

 ferred, since they were not cut off entirely from surrounding soil. Cam- 

 eron suggested that it is really the subsoil below 3 feet that contributes 

 the soil solutions that feed the plant, and that this is the true explana- 

 tion of the results obtained. LeClerc stated that the variations found in 

 composition are much larger between localities than are ever found 

 between differently treated samples of soil in a given locality. Franklin 

 and Waters adduced other examples of the effect of environment as pre- 

 vailing markedly over heredity. Yoder and Sullivan came to essential 

 agreement that these experiments do not show how climate exerts its 

 influence, and that the possibility is not excluded that the climate may 

 react upon the soil in a way to influence the characteristics of the crop, 

 thus exerting its effect in a measure thru the soil. Sosman, Cook, Tas- 

 sin, and others also discussed the paper. 



Hydrogenation with colloidal palladiimi as catalyzer: A. R. Albright, 

 of the Division of Foods, Bureau of Chemistry. The great advantage of 

 the palladium hydrogenation method lies in the low temperature and 

 simple apparatus necessary. It has been found possible to attach hydro- 

 gen to doul)le bonds which have usually been rather inaccessible to reduc- 

 tion. Many detailed examples were quoted of these reductions, which 

 it is not possible to discuss in abstract. 



The rate of cooling in the green and its influence on the physical properties 

 of annealed metals: Wirt Tassin. It has been assumed widely that the 

 properties of metal depend upon heat treatment (annealing) and its 

 consequent changes in structure, rather than upon the conditions of 

 casting. Hence the present widespread use of microscopic examination 

 of specimens as a check upon properties. The author showed illustra- 

 tions of a photomicrographic apparatus which he has developed for the 

 examination of the casting itself. As a concrete example of its use, he 

 showed numerous photomicrographs illustrating the effect of different 

 rates of cooling "in the green," (i.e., in the casting fresh from the mold) 

 both upon the initial properties of iron and steel castings, and upon their 

 properties after the usual processes of annealing. The rate of cooling 

 of the casting was shown to be a very important factor in the ultimate 

 properties of the metal. 



Robert B. Sosman, Secretary. 



