CONVENTION OF OFFICIAL AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTS. 411 



stance beiiiy' diocstod, tiltorcd, jukI washed in 8 hours. It has the fol- 

 lowing advantages: It 3'ields a fiber praetically free from pentosans, 

 the manipulations ai-o less complicated, and the time is shortened. It 

 reijuires furthei* study, however, in its application to cottqp-sced meal. 

 The author suggi>sted that it be further studied by the i-efcrce. 



The use of air in moisture determination, except in substances con- 

 taining dr3'ing oils, was referred 1)V the association to the referee for 

 further study. In the diastase method for starch, 20 cc. was adopted 

 instead of 40 cc. in digesting with malt extract. In neutralizing, sodium 

 hydrate in a ccx)led solution was adopted in lieu of sodium carbonate 

 while hot. Instead of being digested over night with malt extract, '2 

 or 3 hours was adopted. The reconnnendation for the phloroglucin 

 method was adopted, and several other minor modifications were made. 

 It was recommended tliat the referee take up the study of the Konig 

 method for the determination of crude fiber. 



LIQUOR AND FOOD ADULTERATION. 



The report on liquor and food adulteration was submitted by the 

 referee, W. D, Bigelow. At the last meeting of the association this 

 subject w^as divided under 15 heads, with an associate referee for each 

 subject. Thirteen reports were coml)ined in a report which had been 

 submitted to 1(>6 chemists. With some minor changes, it was sug- 

 gested that these reports be printed as a separate bulletin and the 

 methods suggested be made provisional for the present. This recom- 

 mendation was adopted by the association, and the title of this subject 

 was changed to referee on food adulteration. 



W. B. Alwood made a report to the association on the work carried 

 out at the Virginia Station on the fermentation of cider. In promoting 

 this line of work he suggested cooperation between the horticulturist 

 and the chemist. The study relates mainly to the micro-organisms 

 and their action. The principal object to be kept in view in this inves- 

 tigation is the determination of methods for controlling the fermenta- 

 tions in order to obtain definite and uniform products. 



DAIRY PRODUCTS. 



The report on dairy products was made by the referee, J. A. Le 

 Clerc. The work during the past year has been along two lines: (1) 

 Determination of albumin in milk, and (2) detection of renovated but- 

 ter. The methods of determining the casein in milk arc now very 

 satisfactory, but the determination of albumin by ditt'erent chemists 

 has not given concordant results. In previous work along this line 

 various substances were used for precipitating the albumin. This year 

 the albumin was obtained solely l)y means of heat, it being l)elieved 

 that there is no distinctly albumin precipitant. The results of the 



