RFXENT WORK IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE. 



CHEMISTRY. 



Methods of estimating fat, O. Polimanti (Arch. Physiol. [Pfluger], 

 70, Nos. 7-8, p. 300). — In connection with other work the author com- 

 pared different methods of estimating fat. Extraction with ether by 

 the Soxhlet method did not give satisfactory results. The author 

 found, however, that by shaking finely powdered substances in a shak- 

 ing machine with ether for two hours all the fat was extracted. Better 

 results were obtained when 2 cc. of metallic quicksilver was added. 

 For instance, 2 gm. of meat meal was shaken with 200 cc. of ether for two 

 hours. The fat was determined in an aliquot portion of the ether solu- 

 tion, and the same amount was obtained as when the same material 

 was extracted for forty-eight hours with a Soxhlet apparatus and 

 afterwards digested and extracted according to Uormeyer's method. 

 Carbon disulphid, petroleum ether, benzol, chloroform, and different 

 mixtures of alcohol and ether were tried, but were found to be inferior 

 to ether as a reagent for extracting fat by the above method. 



The lecithin content of certain plant seeds and oil cakes, 

 E. Schulze (Landw. Vers. Stat, 49 (1897), No. 3, pp. 203-214).— -In 

 view of the criticism of the author's method of extracting lecithin, tests 

 of the accuracy of the method were made. The lecithin content of cer- 

 tain plant seeds and oil cakes was determined by the author in con- 

 nection with E. Steiger and S. Frankfurt. In the author's opinion, the 

 method proposed by him gives satisfactory results provided the sub- 

 stance is finely pulverized before treating it with alcohol. The lecithin 

 content of the seeds and feeding stuffs examined was as follows: 



Lecithin content of different seeds and feeding stuffs. 



Blue lupine... 



Do 



Yellow lupine 



Vetch 



Peas 



Lentil 



Wheat 



Barley , 



Maize 



Buckwheat ... 

 Flax 



Lecithin 



content. • 



Per cent. 



2.19 



2.20 



1.64 



1.09 



1.05 



1.03 



.43 



.47 



.25 



.53 



.85 



Hemp 



Pine 



Norway spruce . 



Fir 



Peanut cake 



Do 



Sesame cake 



Linseed cake 



Cocoa cake 



Cotton-seed cake 



Lecithin 



content. ' 



Per cent. 

 0.73 

 .49 

 .27 

 .11 

 .20 

 .37 

 .49 

 .44 

 30 

 .49 



1 Calculated from the amount of phosphorus in the ether-alcohol extract. 



1020 



