aUkicultuke at thp: American A88uciatiun. 523 



solids and sugar was said to be about the same as in northern o-rown 

 fruits. 



Tlie lodin Absorption of Oils, Comparison of Methods, was the 

 title of a paper l^y L, ^I. Tolnian and L. S. Munson. The objections 

 to the Hiibl method, as ])ointed out, are the liability of the solution to 

 chanoe with age affecting the result of titration, and the length of 

 time (>mployed. in which there is a considerable difference in the prac- 

 tice among analysts. Comparison was made of the Hiibl, Wijs, and 

 Ilaiuis methods on butter, olco, cocoanut, and a variet}^ of other oils. 

 The three methods were found comparative only on oils with low 

 absorption, like butter and oleo. A special investigation of olive oils 

 of known purity showed both the Wijs and Hanus methods to be sat- 

 isfactory; but the authors have adopted the Hanus method, as the 

 solution is simpler to prepare, and propose it as a substitute for the 

 Hiibl method, with which it agrees well on all oils cx(;ept on dr3dng 

 oils. 



A. H. Gill discussed the question of the occurrence of cholesterol in 

 corn oil, which has been reported ))y Hoppe-Seyler and ))y C. G. Hop- 

 kins. The matter is of interest, as corn oil is one of the very few 

 vegeta))le oils from which cholesterol has been repoi'ted. The speaker 

 ])ronounced the melting point reported by Hopkins as too low for 

 cholesterol, and the color reaction as unreliable. He prepared the 

 substance and obtained about 0.22 per cent. This he identified as 

 phytosterol, instead of cholesterol. The substance agrees with that 

 obtained from wheat by others, and is thought beyond doubt to be 

 phytosterol. 



H. E. Alvord presented .(before the Society for the Promotion of 

 Agricultural Science) the results of determinations of the water con- 

 tent of 800 samples of butter from 400 creameries located in 18 States. 

 The collection was considered representative of the creamery product of 

 the United States. The butter was made during the period from May 

 to September. The water content for the period covered varied from 

 7.20 to 17.62 per cent and averaged 11.78 per cent. Of the total num- 

 ber of samples seven-eighths showed between 10 and II per cent of 

 water and t>ver one-half between 11 and 13 per cent. The percentages 

 for the different months were as follows: May, 11.81; June, 11.91; 

 August, 11.79, and September, 11.59. It was pointed out that the 

 water content can not be judged by appearance. 



C. A. Crampton, of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, reported upon 

 The Composition of Renovated or Process Butter. The speaker 

 described the methods ordinarily practiced in making renovated but- 

 ter, the origin of the stock, etc. The product does not var}' much 

 from ordinar}^ butter in composition, as shown by analyses of samples 

 collected officially from the principal manufacturers of renovated but- 



