324 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



to the sides of the flask an occasional gentle rotation is necessary 

 daring distillation. The recommendations of Mr. Chamberlain and 

 Dr. Bigelow relative to the separation of vegetable proteids and meat 

 proteids, respectively, were adopted by the association and directed to 

 be printed as outlined by the referees. 



ASH. 



The report on ash, submitted by the referee, R. W. Thatcher, gave 

 special attention to methods of determining sulphur in plant tissues. 

 The peroxid method was reported to give higher results than the nitric 

 acid method, but in cases where the sulphur content was known neither 

 method gave results approximating the total amount of sulphur. 



There was some discussion of the importance of ash analysis and of 

 defining the terms "ash" and "plant food." On motion of H. J. 

 Wheeler a committee of five was appointed to confer with a similar 

 committee of the botanical section of the American Association for the 

 Advancement of Science with reference to the definition of the term 

 "plant food." This committee consists of H. W. Wiley, H. J. 

 Wheeler, L. L. Van Slyke, E. W. Magruder, and B. W. Kilgore. 



Recommendations. — The referee was instructed to continue the study 

 of the peroxid and nitric acid methods, and to make determinations of 

 the total sulphur in samples used for cooperative work by the Barlow- 

 Tollens method of combustion in a closed tube. 



SOILS. 



C. G. Hopkins, referee, presented the report on this subject, which 

 dealt largely with a comparison of the results obtained by the official 

 methods and those of the Bureau of Soils, as given in Bulletin 22 of 

 that Bureau, especially the colorimetric methods. The results by the 

 two methods showed considerable discrepancies, and the discussion led 

 to the presentation of the following resolution by L. L. Van Slyke: 



Whereas the methods employed by the Association of Official Agri- 

 cultural Chemists for the analysis of soils and those employed by the 

 Bureau of Soils of the U. S. Department of Agriculture yield such 

 entirely different results where they should be identical, 



Resolved, That a committee be appointed to consider the matter and 

 to consult with the Secretary of Agriculture with a view to bringing 

 about greater harmony in respect to methods employed in soil analysis 

 in the United States and the conclusions based upon such analyses. 



The committee appointed consists of L. L. Van Slyke, H. J. Wheeler, 

 and F. K. Cameron. 



In the course of his report as referee Dr. Hopkins referred to the 

 use of different terms in stating the results of analysis, some chemists, 

 for example, using "ammonia" instead of "nitrogen," and some 



