FOODS HUMAN NUTRITION. 259 



effects from the :i(liniiiistratioii of fresh bntteriuilk have heen noted, and 

 infants ahnost Invariably talce it well. In the anthor's opinion, "whatever 

 smress has attended the use of buttermilk, is not so nuich (Uie to the absence 

 of fat as to the f?r»'at ease with which the proteid of buttermilk is disesfed. 

 . . . Several who were unable to dii?est 0.75 i»er cent of calcium casein digested 

 perfectly the 2 per cent to '.i per cent of casein lac-tate in the buttermilk." 



Milling characteristics of Australasian wheats, F. B. Guthrie and G. W. 

 NoRRis (A(/i: Gas. N. S. Wales, 18 (1907), Xo. .',. pp. 295-307).— Pei-centage of 

 nulling products, color of the flour, strength, ghiten content, character of the 

 gluten, and other data were recorded for a number of samples of wheats grown 

 in Australia. 



The author notes that a number of varieties yield tloui's of high strength 

 and that they retain this characteristic under cultivation in regions where 

 hitherto rapid deterioration of wheat in this respect has been observed. 



Structure of the starch grain, H. Kraemer {Amer. Jour. Pharm., 19 {1901), 

 A"o. 211-229, 1)1. 1, figs. 3). — A summary of experimental evidence and. other 

 data included in this paper led to the conclusion that " the starch grain con- 

 sists of colloidal and crystalloidal substances, these being arranged for the 

 most part in distinct and .separate lamelhe, that is, at the point of origin of 

 growth, and in the alternate lamellie the colloidal substance preponderates, 

 associated with the crystalloid cellulose ; whereas in the other layers the 

 crystalloidal substance, consisting for the most part of granulose, occurs in 

 greater iiroportion." 



The chemical composition of cooked vegetable foods, II, Katharine I. 

 WnxiAMS {Jour. Aiiicr. Clieiii. .S'oc, 29 {1901), A'o. //, pi). .514-582). — The author 

 reports an extended study of the composition of cooked cereal foods as com- 

 pared \^ith the raw product. Earlier work has heen noted (E. S. R., 15, p. 885). 



The pentosan and methyl pentosan content of vegetables, J. Sebelien 

 {Choti. Ztg., 30 {1906), p. JfOl; ahs. in Ztschr. Uiifcr.sucli. ^'ahr. u. GenussmtJ.. 

 13 {1901), Xo. 10, p. 638).— The author distilled with hydrochloric acid a num- 

 ber of vegetable products, such as wood of different sorts, hay, seaweeds, barley, 

 bran, oil cakes, carrots, and turnips, and found that the resulting furfurol con- 

 tained t)nly small amounts of methyl furfurol and that the ratio of methyl 

 ])eutosan to pentosan was usually less than 1. Carrots and turnips, he states, 

 contained respectively 2.50 and 2.93 per cent methyl pentosan on a dry-matter 

 basis, and HAP> and 0.07 per cent pentosan. 



Dika butter, E. MnxiAii {A(/r. I'rat. Pay.^ Chaud.^. 1 {1901), No. //.S\ pp. 189- 

 199). — Dika butter, a culinary fat prepared from the seeds of Irmntila (/ahoiicii- 

 •s/.s-, is, the author believ«'s, destined to become an important article of diet. 

 It possesses a delicate flavor not unlike that of cocoa butter and resembles 

 this and other vegetable culinary fats in chemical character, as the analytical 

 data show. The method of manufacture is described. The cake remaining after 

 the extraction of the fat is stated to he an important feeding stuff. When well 

 prepared, dika butter has a decided advantage in that it does not I'eadily spoil. 



Concerning cocoa and chocolate, J. Dekker {Arcli. PJianit., 2'i5 {1901), 

 No. 2. pp. h')3, h'l'i). — A ])olemi<al article. 



The quantity of calcium oxalate in cinnamon and cassia bark, J. IIen- 

 DKicK {AiKili/st. 32 {1901). p. I'l: (ihs. ill Cliriii. Zi{i., 31 {1901), No. 2'f, Report. 

 .Vo. 21, p. 126). — None of the cassia sami)les t-ontained as nuich calcium oxalate* 

 as the lowest amount found in ciiuiamon bark. The investigation also showed 

 tJiat wild cinnamon could be distinguished from (U'dinary Ceylon ciiuiamon, 

 since it contains about twice as much calcium oxalate. 



The examination and valuation of raspberry juice and raspberry sirup, 

 P. BuTTE.NBERu {Aich. I'ltiuiii.. 2'i.', (11101). .\i>. 2. pp. 8l-;n). — A summary of 



