364 EXPEEIMENT STATION" RECORD. 



Attention is directed to the fact that American foul brood is prevalent in 

 Cuba and that while honey from infected colonies of bees is not injurious to 

 human beings, the danger to bees constitutes a serious objection to the un- 

 guarded importation of Cuban honeys and affords an additional reason for 

 barring from imix)rtation undesirable Cuban honeys. 



Furthermore, as pointed out by the authors, "the preparation of the honey 

 for shipment was very poor. The extraction had been carelessly carried out, 

 and much dirt was present in the samples as received. . . . The honey is 

 mostly wild or that from wild bees, is scooped out of the trees by the natives, 

 allowed to drain through coarse cloth, and shipi^ed either in tins or barrels. 

 In only two cases was the product such as could be sold for direct consumption, 

 these two being comb honey. 



"Again, with few exceptions the flavor was rank and strong, so that it could 

 hardly be considered palatable. There is some honey of good flavor produced 

 in these places, but it is not esiDorted in any quantity. 



" Considering the physical condition of the samples as received in nearly all 

 cases, it can be said that they were not fit for human consumption. Reextrac- 

 tion, straining, etc., might improve this condition, but it is a question whether 

 even under this treatment the honey is made fit for table use, as the dirt has 

 become so intimately mixed as not to be removed by physical means." 



A bibliography of chemical literature of honey from 1907 to 1911, compiled 

 by A. H. Bryan, is appended to the report, and supplements earlier compilations 

 (E. S. R., 19, p. 1058). 



The nitrogenous constituents of fungi, Camille Reutek (Hoppe-Seyler^s 

 Ztschr. Physiol. Chem., 78 {1912), No. 3-4, pp. 167-245).— In addition to an 

 exhaustive summary of data previously published, the author reports the re- 

 sults of extended investigations. 



The hydrolysis of protein from fungi yielded the following amino acids: 

 GlycocoU, alanin, valin, leucin, pheuylalanin, prolin, aspartic acid, and glu- 

 tamiuic acid. Especially to be noted is the high content of the two low amino 

 acids and prolin. After digestion with trypsin tyrosin was found. From dried 

 fungi the following bases or amino acids were isolated: Guanin, adenin, hy- 

 poxanthin, trimethylhistidin, cholin, trimethylamin, putrescin, guanidin, phe- 

 nylalanin, leucin, and racemic alanin. EsiJecially noteworthy is the occuri'euce 

 of racemic alanin, which constitutes the gi-eater portion of the free amino 

 acids present. 



As the author points out, cases of poisoning often occur after eating edible 

 fungi which are attributed to the formation of toxic compounds by bacteria. 

 It is also possible that in processes of digestion substances with marked physio- 

 logical properties such as agmatin, paraoxyphenylilthylamin, and imidazolylii- 

 thylamin are formed by cleavage from the amino acids and bases primarily 

 formed from the protein. 



In the author's opinion it would be especially important from a biological 

 standpoint to study the ferments present in fungi which induce carbohydrate 

 cleavage and play a very important role in the formation of the simple plant 

 bases which are physiologically active. 



The presence of glutaminic acid in preserved tomatoes, N. Monti {8ta;s. 

 Sper. Agr. Ital., U (1911), No. 11-12, pp. 813-823; a6s. m Chem. ZentU., 1912, 

 I, No. 7, p. 501). — By a method which he describes the author isolated gluta- 

 minic acid from preserved tomatoes, the quantity being in the proportion of 

 80 gm. per 60 kg. of material. 



[Food inspection and other pure food and drug topics], E. F. Ladd and 

 Alma K. Johnson {North Dakota Sta. Spec. Bui., 2 {1912), No. i, lip. 49-55, 

 58-80). — The results of the examination of a number of miscellaneous food 



