AGETCITLTURAL CHEMISTRY — AGROTECHNY. 615 



has been heated for 3 miuutes previously witli nii alcohol lamp. The butter fat 

 is heated and during the process the aluniinuni pan is shaken at intervals in 

 order to break up tlie layer of casein on tlie surface of tlie butter. The appear- 

 ance of a slight pungent odor is used as a guide for terminating the heating. 

 A recession of the foam also takes place at this point. The butter is then cooled 

 (covering it during this period with a piece of paper) and placed on a specially 

 devised moisture balance, which is described. The scale on the balance gives 

 its readings in percentages and fractions thereof. The test is considered very 

 easy to operate and the apparatus is reasonably cheaii and duraiile. The scale 

 can be used for work in the Babcock test. 



Antipyrin for estimating' the iodin number of fats and essential oils, 

 F. BoRDE (Bid. Sci. Phitrmacoh. 16 (1909). No. 11, pp. 6.5.'/-6'.56; abs. in Ztfichr. 

 Rirch u. Grschmackst., 2 (1910). No. 8. pp. 92. .93).— In each of two 100 cc. 

 bottles (which may be stoppered) place 15 to 20 cc. of the essential oil and add 

 10 cc. of pure alcohol and 10 cc. of freshly prepared iodin solution (.5 gm. in 

 100 cc. 90 per cent alcohol), the titer of which has been obtained against an 

 antipyrin solution which contains exactly 1.88 gm. of pure antipyrin in 100 cc. 

 of 50 per cent alcohol. To each flask then add 10 cc. of a 6 per cent alcoholic 

 solution of corrosive sublimate (80 per cent alcohol), shake, and allow to stand 

 for 4 hours in a dark place. After this interval titrate liack with antipyrin 

 solution any unused iodin which may be present. One cc. of antipyrin solu- 

 tion is equivalent to 0.02.54 gm. of iodin. 



Examination of candelilla wax, R. F. Hare and A. P. B.iERREOAVRn [Jnitr. 

 Indus, and Engin. Chem.. 2 (1910), No. 5. pp. 203-205). — The results of an ex- 

 amination of a sample of candelilla wax, a wax which coats the Mexican cande- 

 lilla plant (Euphorbia antisyphilitica), prepared and purified by the authors 

 and comi)ared with carnauba. bee, and Chinese in.sec-t wax, are reported. 



Nitrog-en estimation in feeding- stuffs by utilizing' different amounts, 

 O. Engels (Land IV. Veis. Stat., 72 (1910), No. .j-ll. pp. 'i07-.'i 12). —Vi^iu^ vari- 

 ous amounts of substance for the nitrogen determination does not always yield 

 the same results. Parallel determinations with 1, 2.5, and 5 gm.. resjiectively. 

 with rape, sesame, palm and coconut cakes, peanut gleanings, linseed, linseed 

 cake meal, brewers' grains, malt sprouts, etc., were made and it is seen from 

 the results that the best results were obtained when from 2.5 to 5 gm. of mate- 

 rial was used for the analysis and the lea.st satisfactory when 1 gm. was used. 



Examination of phosphatic feed lime, (). Kellnek (Landir. Fo-.s'. Stat.. 72 

 (19 JO), No. 5-0. pp. 357-365). — Cooperative tests amongst the German experi- 

 ment stations show that the short method, previously described (E. S. R., 22. 

 p. 211), while yielding lower results than Petermann's method is more accurate. 



The determination of nitrog-en in the feces, I. K. Phelps (.l&.s. //; Scicnrr. 

 11. nei:, 31 (1910), No. 807, p. 960).— "The difficulties of loss of nitrogen by 

 standing, of obtaining a uniform sample of the heterogeneous material, and of 

 separating the hair from the fecal matter when dogs are the subject of s^tudy 

 are overcome by preservation of the feces under alcohol, filtration. deliy<lration 

 of the solid material with ether and treatment of the solid residue and alcohol- 

 ether filtrate sei)arately. The solid residue is freed from hair by sifting and 

 nitrogen determined in the usual way. Tlie alcohol-other filtrate is sampled 

 and the nitrogen determined according to Kjeldahl. using the precaution to 

 allow the alcohol-ether mixture to flow from a dropping fuiuiel into the sul- 

 phuric acid heated and maintained at a temperature of 140 to KJO". Thus the 

 large mass of the alcohol is converted into ethyl ether and excessive carboniza- 

 tion avoided and, at the same time, the acid kept of such concentration tliat all 

 volatile nitrogen substances are held." 



