AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY — AGROTECHNY. 711 



inside of food containers, by confectioners for giving their candies a glossy 

 appearance, and by brewers as a coating for fermentation and storage vats, 10 

 samples of sbellac purcbased at random in the open market were examined for 

 arsenic. 



All were found to contain amounts varying from 4 parts per million, calcu- 

 lated as arseuious oxid, to 2,080 parts per million. 



Baffinose content of raw beet sugars, and the ratio of ash to the org-anic 

 nonsugars, F. Stroiimer (Wchnshr. Cent. Ver. Rilhens. Indus. [FteM»a], ^9 

 {1911), No. 17, PI). 265, 266; abs. in Jour. Soc. Chem. Indus., 30 (1911), No. 10, 

 pp. 638, 639). — A low ratio of ash to organic nonsugars (below 1.5), according 

 to this author, does not indicate the presence of raflinose. The ratios with 21 

 first product raw sugars from Hungarian refineries ranged from 1.02 to 1.86. 



The quantitative analysis of human and of cows' milk, A. V. Meigs and 

 H. L. Marsh (Med. Rcc [N. Y.], 80 {1911), No. 27, pp. 1309-1313) .—Accovdms 

 to the authors " no analysis either of human or cows' milk has heretofore been 

 made in which the various constituents were determined gravimetrically — 

 each one isolated from a single sample and weighed separately and the separate 

 weights when added together shown to be equal to the weight of the original 

 sample." The authors have accoi'diugly attempted to do this, and " by the 

 methods described the following results were obtained : Cow's milk — water 

 88.279, fat 3.032, protein 2.942, lactose 4.482, extractives 0.603. ash 0.733 ; human 

 milk — water 87,569. fat 3.087, protein 1.481, lactose 6.574, extractives 1, ash 

 0.252 per cent." 



Capillary and adsorption phenomena observed with milk, A. Keeidl and 

 E. Lenk {Pflilger's Arch. Physiol., 11,1 {1911), No. 10-12, pp. 541S58, figs. 3).— 

 By allowing a drop of cow's milk to fall upon a piece of bibulous paper 3 zones 

 are produced, viz, casein, fat, and water. This is dependent upon a high ash 

 content. Human, dog's, and cat's milk were not found to show a definite casein 

 zone. Its nonoccurrence in human milk is probably due to its consistency and 

 the fact that this milk has a low percentage of casein, while with dog's and 

 cat's milk the spi-eading of the casein is hindered by the fats which they con- 

 tain. As cow's milk when diluted to a certain point fails to give a definite 

 casein zone, the method may bo used as an Index to the quantitative composition 

 of milk, particularly with regard to fat and water. 



Milk to which rennet has been added will when dropped on bibulous paper 

 show a small casein zone, which after a time vanishes altogether. Coagulation 

 by rennet is shown to go through a quicker cycle when observed by this method. 

 The process seems to be much longer when the dark ground illumination method 

 of observation is employed. 



In reg'ard to the practical control of the milk supply, H. M. Hoybebg 

 (Ztschr. Fleisch n. Milchhyg., 21 {1911), No. 12, pp. 392-396) .—The alcohol 

 test will not always show whether a milk is abnormally acid, but when the milk 

 is obtained from a few cows, colostrum and milk from animals having affections 

 of the mammary gland can be detected with ease. Particular caution must be 

 exercised in declaring a milk adulterated on the basis of the fat content, both 

 in individual and mixed milk. A better criterion is the fat-free dry substance. 

 Out of 1,000 milk samples none had a specific gravity below 1.0290, and only 2, 

 that is 0.2 per cent, varied from 1.0290 to 1.0295, while 98.4 per cent of the 

 milks showed gravities varying from 1.0310 to 1.0340. 



The differentiation of raw from boiled milk, H. R. GiJNTHEE (Malic. Ztg. 

 [Hildesheim], 25 {1911), No. 75, pp. U23, i^2^).— After reviewing the various 

 reactions thus far proposed for detecting boiled milk, the author discusses the 

 limitations of the guaiac test. He also gives a method for so preparing the 

 guaiac tincture for conducting the test that it will yield good results. 



