AGRICULTURAf. CHEMISTRY AGROTECHNY. 613 



niotal — in this case eulciuiu — couibiiiod willi sulpLur in the form of sulphid or 

 polysulphid. ... Briefly, the method of test involves tlie addition of standard 

 jodin solution to a measured quantity of bath until the resulting liquid no 

 longer gives cohu- with a dilute alkaline solution of sodium nitro-prussid, show- 

 ing that calcium polysulphid has been entirely decomposed. The amount of 

 iodiu added to reach this point is then a measure of the amount of ' sulphid 

 sulphur ' in the bath." 



The outfit used is illustrated and tables showing quantities of concentrated 

 dip to be added to each 100 gal. of bath to restore it to the standard strength 

 (1.5 to 2 per cent sulphid sulphur) are given. 



About some seeds which, have rarely been examined and their oils, A. 

 DiEDRicns {Ztschr. Vntersuch. Xahr. u. OenussmtL, 27 {1914), ^o. 1-3, pp. 132- 

 l.'/l). — This gives data in regard to the China orange, lemon, Imlia butter tree 

 (liassid hut 1/1 area), Stillingia, and Calotropis or akoon (C. f/ifjdnteii). 



Agricultural alcohol: Studies of its manufacture in Germany, E. Kremers 

 (U. *S. Dcpt. Agr. Bui. 182 (1015), pp. ,];j).— These data collected in Germany 

 deal with the topic under the following headings: History; the economic situ- 

 ation; mash-capacity taxes, 1S20- and 1868; taxes on the finished products, 

 1887 ; tax refunds on industrial alcohol, 1879 and 18S7 ; increase in technical 

 applications of alcohol; distillation of tax of 1895, 'and bonus on industrial 

 alcohol; increase in potato culture; cooperation in marketing; organization of 

 the central association; success of the central association; voluntary regulation 

 of i)roduction ; the potato the principal source of alcohol; the distillery as a 

 factor on the market; distilleries on the larger estates and domains; distil- 

 leries on small farms; cooperative distilleries; and a report of visits to agri- 

 cultural distilleries at Dahlem, Dahlewitz, Dominium Neuguth-Heinzenburg, 

 Treben, Weihenstephan, and Perlach. 



Osage orang'e. — Its value as a commercial dyestufE, F. W. Kressmann 

 {Jour. Indus, and Engln. Chem., 6 {1914), A'o. 6, pp. JfG2--'i64). — This is a study 

 of the utilization of Osage orange mill waste. As a rule the trunk of an 

 Osage orange tree is small in size, misshapen, and generally defective as a saw 

 log, "and, although because of the valuable properties of the wood (for wagon 

 felloes especially) closer utilization will scarcely be found in the use of any 

 other wood, comparatively large amounts of waste are produced annually. 



" Osage orange has long been used in Texas in a small way as a dyewood. 

 The roots, bark, and wood are chipped and boiled with water and a more or 

 less permanent yellow is obtained from the extract." As a result of the investi- 

 gation it was found that the quality and quantity of the dyestuff present is 

 almost identical with that of fustic. 



"Osage orange may be employed as a dyewood in all cases where fustic 

 wood is used at present. The yellows produced by direct dyeing or by aluminum 

 and tin mordants are too fugitive to be of commercial value. But the orange- 

 yellows, old gold, deep tan, olive, and chocolate shades obtained with chromium 

 and iron dormants are equal to, if not better than, those obtained with fustic 

 and are of sufficient fastness to be of commercial value. 



"A domestic source of a yellow dyewood has been found that can advantage- 

 ously replace a foreign material used at present. The mill waste alone from 

 the pi'esent manufacture of osage orange amounts to over 25,000 tons annually ; 

 and if this waste could be set down in the East for $10 or .$12 per ton it is 

 believed that it could compete successfully with fustic, both from cost of pro- 

 duction and quality of color produced on dyeing." 



