RECENT WORK IX AfxRICULTURAL SCIENCE. 



AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY— AGROTECHNY. 



An introduction to bacteriological and enzym chemistry, G. J. Fowleb 

 (London, lUll, pp. 17 + 328, pis. //, fig.s. 2S). — The chapters in this book are as 

 follows: The characteristics of cbomical action in living matter; outlines of 

 bacteriological technique; some leading conceptions in organic chemistry; space- 

 isomerism and .the chemistry of the sugars; the hydrolysis of starch by amyl- 

 ase; the conditions of formation of amylase in the living cell; invertase and 

 maltase; the alcoholic fermentation of grape sugar; the acid fermentation of 

 alcohols and carbohydrates; the fermentation of cellulose and allied bodies; 

 miscellaneous fermentations, fat-splitting enzyms, oxidases, and clotting en- 

 zyms; outlines of the chemistry of albumins or proteins; the nitrogen cycle; 

 the sulphur cycle; fermentation of indigo, tea, cocoa, coffee, and tobacco; bac- 

 teriological and enzym chemistry in relation to agriculture ; and the chemistry 

 of sewage purification. 



A bibliograi)hy is appended. 



Method for determining whether a liquid contains more than one enzym, 

 AciiALME and Bresson {('oinpl. Rend. Acad. tivi. [Paria], 151 (IDIO), No. 26, 

 pp. 136'J-1372; ahs. in Analyst, 36 {1911), No. ^20, p. 110).— The method rests 

 upon the hypothesis that if a limited quantity of a single enzym be allowed to 

 act simultaneously upon 2 different substrata its action will be distributed be- 

 tween the two. On the other hand, where 2 enzyms are present in a liquid each 

 one of them will act upon a specific substrata and independently of one another. 



Microchemical detection of protein, T. Bokorny (Chem. Ztg., 35 (1911), 

 No. 8, pp. 69, 70; abs. in Anali/st, 36 (1911), No. 420, pp. Ill, 112).— The prin- 

 ciple upon which the reaction is based is the coagulation phenomena and the 

 formation of proteosomes observed when the subepidermal cells of some plants 

 belonging to the order Crassulacese are treated with a solution of caffein. The 

 proteosome formation is noted in the plasma of the cells in superficial sections 

 of the leaf, which generally exists in the form of closely crowded bodies having 

 an angular or a flat, round shape. The i)roteosomes may be most conveniently 

 studied with Spirogyra. 



The effect of high temperatures on cane sugar in solution, N. Deebb 

 (Haivaiion tiugar Planters' Sta., Agr. and Chem. Bui. 36, pp. //J). — Continuing 

 pi'evious work (E. S. R., 24, p. 411), "the effect of high temperatures on cane 

 sugar in solution has been studied, and it has been found that at temperatures 

 above 100° C. cane sugar is inverted even in alkaline solutions. The inversion 

 first becomes noticeable at about 110° and increases rapidly with increasing 

 temperature. The connection between rate of inversion at one temperature and 



at another is given by an expression of the form Ci = Co c '^ ' "' , where 



Ci and Co are the rates of inversion at Ti and To ; e is the base of the natural 

 system of logarithm, and A is a constant of value about 35,000. 



" Chlorids, bromids, iodids, nitrates, sulphates of the alkalis and alkaline 

 earths, materially increase the rate of inversion at high temperatures in neutral 



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