EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Vol. XXX T. ^Vbstract Numbj^i. No. 3. 



RECENT AVORK IN AGRICULTURAL SCIl'NCE. 



AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY— AGROTECHNY. 



Biochemistry, V. I.. Alsbkrc; (Jour. Influx, and Kunjin. Vhvui., ,7 {1913), A^o. 

 J2, pp. 1019, 1020). — The .-uldress of the chMiriiiiin of the section on biological 

 olieniistry of the American Chemical Society, as given at the Rochester meeting, 

 Sept. 8-12, 1913. The progress of the science and some of its opportunities are 

 briefly reviewed. 



Chemistry of fats, lipoids, and waxy substances, AV. (Jlikin (Chcmie der 

 Fettr, lApoUlc. und Waclixurten. Jjcipm-, vols. /. 1912. pp. A'r/+78.0. fig.<i. 91; 

 2, 1913, pp. Xr+78S. figx. /O).— The first vohinie of this worlc deals with the 

 general, physical, physiological, and analytical chemistry of fats; the second 

 with the descrii)tion. preiiaration. and examination of natural fats, oils, waxy 

 substances, and chemical-technical fat products. 



Distribution of alkaloids in the belladonna plant, A. F. Sievers (.4-»»er. 

 Jour. Vhnrm., S6 {191.',), ao. 3, pp. 91-112, fig. i).— The investigations reported 

 have been i)reviously note<l from another source (E. S. R., 30, p. 44). 



The leaf oil of Doug-las fir, A. W. ScHomiKB (Jour. Am^r. Chcm. l^oc, 35 

 {1913), No. 12, pp. 1S95-1 897). —''The constituents of the leaf oil of Douglas 

 fir with their approximate iiercontages are as follows: 1-a-pinene, 2r»; l-j3-i)inene, 

 48; i or Z-limouene, C; furfural; ester as bornyl acetate, 6.1; free alcohol as 

 borneol, 6.5 ; ' green oil,' 3 ; and losses by polymerization, 5 per cent." 



Aroma of hops: A study of the volatile oil with relation to the geographi- 

 cal sources of the hops, F. Rabak (U. S. Dept. Agr., Jour. Apr. lieRcnrch, 2 

 {191Jf), Xo. 2, pp. 115-1~)9. figs, l^)- — A systematic comparison of the physical 

 and chemical properties of oils distilled from hops obtained from California, 

 Oregon, Washington, and New York was made with those from imported hops 

 from Saaz, Bohemia. 



The average yield of oil from the California hops during 1907, 1908, and 

 1909 was 0.32 per cent, while during the four years 1900-1909 the Oregon hops 

 showed an average oil content of 0.29, the New York hops 0.192 per cent, the 

 Washington hops, distilled only during 1909 and 1910, 0.37 per cent, and the 

 imported' hops distilled from the crops of 1906, 1907, 1908, and 1909, 0.31 per 

 cent. When distilled for a i3eriod of more than two seasons, all the hops showed 

 considerable fluctuation in the yield of oil. 



The color of the various oils ranged from a golden yellow to a dark brown, 

 but the first runnings of all the distillates were nearly colorless. The pre- 

 dominant color seemed to be red or brow^n. A golden yellow oil was obtained 

 only when the hops were distilled on a small laboratory scale. 



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