BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 269 



were studied in the hope, which proved ilhisory, that the proper- 

 ties of the individual derivatives would differ to such an extent from 

 one another as to make it easier to separate the derivatives from one 

 another than the parent acids. A report upon the results is in press. 

 Comparative analyses of a large number of samples of classified 

 grades and kinds of unscoured wool have been published in a news 

 letter and in trade journals. These analyses show the percentage 

 of grease, ash, water-soluble matter, potash, and nitrogen in for- 

 eign as well as domestic wools. Improvements in the solvent proc- 

 ess of extracting grease from wool and in the bleaching of wool 

 grease have been developed in the laboratory and are soon to be 

 tried out on an industrial scale in cooperation with a large wool 

 scouring and spinning establishment. 



CHEMISTRY AND NUTRITIVE VALUES OF PROTEINS. 



The results of some of the studies on the chemistry of proteins have 

 been published under the following titles : The Hydrolysis of Stizolo- 

 bin, the Globulin of the Chinese Velvet Bean, Stizolohium niveuni; 

 Some Proteins from the Georgia Velvet Bean, Stizolohium deerin- 

 gianum; Distribution of the Basic Nitrogen in Phaseolin. Papers 

 are in press upon the determination of the jellying power of gelatins 

 and glues by the polariscope, upon the preparation and properties 

 of ash-free gelatins, and upon the acidity of ash-free and commercial 

 gelatins. Work is in progress upon the hydrolysis of coconut globu- 

 lin, upon the protein of the mung bean, of tomato seed press cake, of 

 the Lima bean, and of tiie cohune nut. 



The work upon the nutritive value of beans, especially of the genus 

 Phaseolus, of cow peas and of the Chinese and Georgia velvet beans 

 has been progressing favorably. The results obtained with the navy 

 bean, showing that it can not support growth without the addition 

 of cystine to the diet when the navy bean is the sole source of protein, 

 have been published under the title The Role of Cystine in Nutri- 

 tion as Exemplified by Nutrition Experiments with the Proteins of 

 the Navy Bean, Phaseolus vulgaris. Similar studies are in progress 

 on the adsuki, Lima, and mung beans. All of them, except possibly 

 the mung bean, appear to be lacking in cj^stine. It has not been 

 possible, hitherto, to obtain any growth on either the ground velvet 

 bean or the raw isolated velvet-bean protein. Partial growth has, 

 however, been obtained on the coagulated protein, which would seem 

 to indicate that possibly failure to obtain growth in these cases may 

 be due to some kind of toxicity. However, this Avill require further 

 careful investigation, 



Tiie results of the investigations upon commercial corn gluten meal 

 and upon the nutritive value of peanut flour as a supplement to wheat 

 flour have been made public. An investigation upon the nutritive 

 value of soy-bean flour as a supplement to wheat flour has been 

 completed. 



SEA FOODS. 



New laboratories have been established at San Diego, Calif.- and 

 at Pensacola, Fla. At the San Diego laboratory special attention 

 will be paid to the best methods of canning and preserving Pacific 

 coast fish, particularly those of the tuna and sardine types. The 



