AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY. filS 



Rapid estimation of water in sugar-house products, such as sirups, masse- 

 cuites, etc., H. .AL\i.n (Iiitvnuit. SiKjar Juitr., i) {lUOl), No. 106, pp. .'/<S/--'/.S7 ). — 

 The usual methods of estimatuif; water in sirups by dryiuij; in sand, etc., are 

 as the author points out, slow and unsatisfactory, especiallj- if invert sufrar 

 is present. He states that he has oi>tained veiy satisfactory results by tbe 

 use of the Abbe refractometer in deteruiininj; the amount of water in sirups, 

 etc., and describes tlie method. 



Estimation of sugar in dried beet chips, J. G. Slobinski (Ztschr. Vrr. 

 Drut. Ziickcrindiis.. 1907, Xo. 620, II. pp. 869-89.3, fig. i).— A study of methods. 



The characteristics of wine extract as a means of judging wine, O. Kruo 

 (Ztschr. Uiiteisiich. Nahr. u. Gcnussmtl., II, (1901), No. 1-2, pp. 111-120).— 

 In the author's opinion, the physical character of the wine extract is of value 

 in .iudtring th«> quality of wine. His report was pi'eseuted before the "meetins 

 of the (Jerman food chemists in May, 1907. 



Vinegar and vinegar essence, T. W, Fbesenius {Ztschr. Untersurh. Nahr. 

 u. Geiiussintl., IJf {1901), No. 1-2, pp. 199-203). — In a paper presentetl before 

 the May meeting of the German food chemists, the author reports data on 

 the determination of hydrogen sulphid and aldehyde as a means of judging of 

 the quality of vinegar and vinegar extract. 



Formic acid as a preservative, B. H. Smith {Jour. Amcr. Chem. 8oc., 29 

 (1901), No. 8, pp. 1236-121/1). — According to experiments on the effect of formic 

 acid as a preservative, this material ranks lower than benzoic or salicylic acid 

 as an antiseptic agent. 



" One-tenth of a per cent of the sodium salt of benzoic acid is usually re- 

 garded as satisfactory in preventing fermentation in [canned 1 goods packed 

 commercially, and to produce similar results using formic acid it would prob- 

 ably be necessary to use from 0.3 to 0.5 of a per cent." 



Qualitative tests for formic acid are discussed and a modification of the 

 ferric chlorid method suggested. 



Contribution to the determination of potash by the perchlorate method 

 in fertilizers, soils, manure, crops, etc., V. Schenke and P. Kruoer (Landw. 

 \ <i\s. Stat., 61 {1901), No. 3-Jf, pp. l.',5-156; abs. in Chem. ZrnthJ., 1901, II, 

 No. 21, p. 1159; Chem. Ztg., 31 {1901), No. 93, Repert. No. 85, pp. 511, 518; 

 Jour. Chem. .Sfoc. [London], 92 {1901), No. 5.^1, II, p. 9i0 ) .—Comparisons of the 

 perchlorate method as described by the Hildesheim experiment station, with the 

 modified Finkener platinic chlorid method, are reported, and some modifica- 

 tions of the perchlorate method are suggested. The perchlorate method was 

 found to give very satisfactory results if care was taken to remove phosphoric 

 and suli)huric acids, ammonium salts, and free hydrochloric acid, and to pre- 

 vent a large excess of barium chlorid. 



The detection of peat in commercial fertilizers, J. P. Street {New Jersey 

 Stas. Rpt. 1906, pp. 3.',-36). — In view of the fact that "recently several manu- 

 facturing plants have been established for the drying and pulverizing of peat, 

 and it is claimed that it is the intention to use it as a drier in mixed fertilizers, 

 and a diluent of dried blood," examinations were made of peat and of fertilizer 

 mixtures containing peat for the purpose of finding a reliable means of de- 

 tecting this material in nii.xed fertilizers. 



Analyses of 7 sanii)les of peat differing widely in nature and mechanical con- 

 dition showed nitrogen varying from 0.1>1 to 2.08 per cent and pentosans from 

 1.57 to 8.74 per cent. Examinations of fertilizer mixtures containing varying 

 amounts of peat showed that "a pentosan determination will indicate as small 

 an addition as 10 per cent of peat. If cotton-seed meal or castor pomace were 

 used to compound the fertilizer, the test for pentosans would not establish 

 with* any certainly the use of peat, for these materials both contain pentosans. 



