1020] AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY — AGROTECHNY. 411 



different manner in whidi many of thi' carbohydrate derivatives had been 

 characterized nothing detinite had been achieved until recently. Owing to tlie 

 Ita installing work of Hudson and his school in America, we are now in posses- 

 sii»n of many of the necessary data, and the generalizations of this chemist 

 have given a new and most pronusing aspect to this field." 



[Gossypol in cottonseed meal], W. A, Withkrs (North Carolina Sta. lipt. 

 JlUi), pp. .'lO, ///).— In continuation of the study of gossypol, the toxic principle 

 of cotton seed, by Withers and Carruth (E. S. R., 38, p. 685), and by Carruth 

 (E. S. R., 38, p. 801). the results of a further investigation of its chemical 

 properties and the possibilities of its removal from cottonseed meal are reported. 

 No evidence was obtained that gossypol or D-gossypol is left in the meal 

 after extraction with ethyl ether and then with anilin. The anilin-gossypol 

 and the anilin-D-gossypol contained, respectively, 73.74 and 74.81 per cent of 

 carbon, 5.76 and G.12 i>er cent of hydrogen, and 3.85 and 3.89 per cent of nitrogen. 

 Anilin-D-gossypol on heating to 140° C in the air gained 0.71 per cent in weight, 

 while anilin-gossypol gained 1.9G per cent. These results are considered to 

 furnish a further proof that the two substances are not identical. 



Cottonseed hulls were found to contain 0.75 per cent and the meats 0.7 per 

 cent of gossypol. 



Benzidin, anilin, phenylhydrazin, p-nitroanilin, p-toluidin, and a-napthylamin 

 ail produced precipitates with the gossypol present in crude cottonseed oil. 

 These reagents and urea in alcoholic solution did not, however, form precipi- 

 tates with pure gossypol or D-gossypol. 



Free gossypol or D-gossypol in alcoholic solution formed precipitates v.ith 

 the alcohol-soluble proteins of either wheat flour or cottonseed meal. This is 

 thought to explain partially why heating reduces the toxicity of cottonseed 

 meal, on the assumption that the gossypol or D-gossypoI protein compound is 

 not readily digested by the animal. 



In general, heating cottonseed meals to various temperatures in atmospheres 

 of dilTerent gases and in the presence of various amounts of water decreased 

 the gossypol but increased the D-gossypol content, although the results ob- 

 tained have not been consistent in all cases. 



Fermentation characteristics of certain pentose-destroying bacteria, 

 E. B. Frkd, W. H. Peterson, and A. Davenport {Jour. Biol. Chcm., 42 (1920), 

 A'o. 1, pp. 115-189). — Continuing the study of pentose-fermenting bacteria 

 (E. S. R., 42, p. 709), the general fermentation characteristics of these bacteria 

 have been studied by determining the change in reaction and the gas produc- 

 tion in fermentation tubes containing a culture of the organism in yeast water 

 and a 2 per cent solution of various carbon compounds including pentoses, 

 hexoses, di-, tri-, and poly-.sa<'charids, glucosids, polyatomic alcohols, and 

 organic acids. 



The average limits of growth in the yeast water medium were approximately 

 pli 3.6 to 4 for xylose, glucose, galactose, fructose, sucrose, and lactose, and 4.3 

 for mannitol, which was decomposed more slowly. The results of acidity meas- 

 urements and of the fermentation tube method gave no indication of the amount 

 of carbohydrate consumed. It is thought that carbon compounds are bi'oken 

 down with the production of gas, largely CO2, which does not accumulate in 

 the closed end of the fermentation tube. 



In regard to acid production arabinose and xylose decomposed rapidly, form- 

 ing more than 20 per cent of normal acid consisting of practically eciual amounts 

 of acetic and lactic acids. Both xylose and arabinose were completely destroyed 

 In less than 14 days. Rhamnose wtis not attacked. Glucose and galactose were 

 decomposed in a similar manner but to a less extent, approximately 10 to 14 



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