497 



(Jose of the experiment, tliey received hay, ^Tain, and roots (sliced 

 turnips). JJuring the feeding the ninety land)s gained 4,513.5 pounds 

 live weight, or 50 pounds per head. They were shipped to England, 

 together with ten others, where they were sold tor sl,()(;i.O,S. The cost 

 of transi»ortation and sale of the lambs was So75.L*l. iteckoning oats 

 at 34^ cents, peas at 52 cents, and turnips at 8 cents per bushel, bran 

 at 814 and hay at $4.50 per ton, and making an allowance for the value 

 of the manure, there was an apparent profit of 8108.42. The cost of 

 shipping *'was considerably more than the average outlay, which expe- 

 rienced slii]ipers put at from $2.50 to $3 per head. This arose in part 

 from the smalliu'ss of the shipment. * * * It is confidently believed 

 that the cost of transportation and sale will be much reduced in the 

 next shipment. * * * It is the intention to repeat the experiment 

 in the coming winter and spring." 



Determination of casein in milk, J. Roux {Moniteur Scientif. (i), 



pp. 478-4:82 ; ahs. in Chem.('i'ntralbl.^lf<!U,inirtJ,p. 1094). — The author 

 uses the word casein to mean the total albuminoids of milk, as casein 

 lacto protein, milk albumen, etc. The method described is a modifi- 

 cation of one previously proposed by Adams, the essential difference 

 between the two consisting in the final precipitation of the casein freed 

 from fat by alcohol and acetic acid in the Adams method, and by tri- 

 chloracetic acid in the new method. The Adams method is said to give 

 too low results, not insuring the complete precipitation of the casein. 

 The method proposed is as follows: Ten c. c. of mi'k are extracted with 

 25 c. c. of the Adams mixture of ether, alcohol, and ammonia, the lower 

 (aqueous) layer drawn oft', the residue (solution of fat in ether) washed 

 with water, and the washings added to the first aqueous portion, mak- 

 ing the volume of the latter 40-50 c. c. This is gently shaken Avith 2 c. 

 c. of a 50 per cent solution of trichloracetic acid, and the precipitated 

 casein collected on a tared double filter. The precipitate is washed on 

 the filter with 50 c. c. of water containing 1 c. c. of trichloracetic acid, 

 and the filters dried to constant weight at 110° C. If the milk is sour 

 (curdled) or unusually rich in casein, 10 c. c. are to be shaken first Avith 



1 or 2 c. c. of 25 jier cent ammonia and then Avith 25 c. c. of the Adams 

 solution till the casein is all dissolved, and the solution then precipi- 

 tated with 0.5-1 c. c. of trichloracetic acid, as given above. Since any 

 peptones present would remain unprecipitated by the trichloracetic acid 

 and pass into the filtrate, and as the filtrate from the casein precii)itate 

 gave no reactioii for peptones with either the Esbach or the Tanret 

 reagents, the author concludes that pure fresh milk does not contain 

 ])eptones in any perce])tible amount. It is mentioned casually that 

 the presence of trichloracetic acid entirely prevents the reduction of 

 Fehling's solution by milk sugar. The casein found indirectly by taking 

 the difference between total solids and the sum of the fat, sngar, and 

 ash, was invariably somewhat higher than that found by the direct 

 method described above. 



15155 — Xo. 7 5 



