AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY AGROTECIINY. 209 



" Considering tlie shortness of the materials upon which they are based, these 

 results are surprisingly consistent throughout. They show that composition and 

 purity are very closely correlated with weight, and in such a way that as 

 weight increases, total solids, sucrose, and percentage purity fall rapidly. The 

 rate of fall on the relative scale of — 1 to +1 is shown by the coefficient of cor- 

 relation r, the rate in an absolute scale by the second term of the regression 

 equation." 



Graphs of most of the equations were prepared, and while the empirical 

 means are very irregular, there is no evidence to show that the regression is 

 other than linear. 



The amount of nitrogen in beets and molasses during the years 1907-1911, 

 Saillard (Bui. Soc. Nat. Agr. France, 12 {1912), No. 6, pp. 545-550). — The 

 methods of sampling and analyzing beets are described. The beets harvested in 

 1911 were found to contain much more total albuminoid, ammoniacal, amido, 

 ynd injurious nitrogen than has been observed in previous years. This is sup- 

 posed to be due to the dry season. A large amount of nitrogen in beets has a 

 tendency to reduce the sugar yield and to increase the yield of molasses. Cer- 

 tain technical difficulties are also encountered in the use of beets high in nitro- 

 genous substances. 



Quantitative determination of the bitter substances of hops, L. Adleb 

 (Ztschr. Gesam. Brauw., 35 {1912), No. 85, pp. 406~410; ahs. in Jour. Soc. Ghem. 

 Indus., 31 (1912), '^o. 20, p. 1003).—Th.\& is a modification of Lintner's method 

 (E. S. R., 11, p. 22), and consists of boiling 10 gm. of hops, previously disin- 

 tegrated in a chopping machine, for 7 hours with 200 cc. of petroleum ether 

 (boiling point 48" C). After cooling, the extract is made up to 255 cc, and 50 

 cc. of the filtered liquid is titrated with tenth-normal potassium hydroxid solu- 

 tion, using 10 drops of a 1 per cent solution of phenolphthalein as the indicator. 

 The titration is finished when the yellowish brown layer, after thoroughly shak- 

 ing, has a carmin red tint. The volume of tenth-normal alkali solution used, 

 multiplied by 2, gives the percentage of bitter substances present in the hops. 

 If necessary, the boiling point of petroleum ether can be adjusted to 48° by 

 adding benzin, etc. A variation of 10° in the boiling point, however, was found 

 to make a difference of only 0.5 per cent in the bitter substances. 



The detection and estimation of arachis oil, X. Eveks (Analyst, 57 (1912), 

 No. 440, pp. 487-492). — The method recommended for the estimation of arachis 

 (peanut) oil is as follows: 



'' Weigh out 5 gm. of the oil into a saponification flask, and 25 cc. of alco- 

 holic potash (SO gm. potash dissolved in 80 cc. water and diluted to a liter with 

 90 per cent alcohol), and saponify for about 5 minutes under a reflux condenser. 

 To the hot soap solution add 7.5 cc. of acetic acid (1 volume of glacial acetic acid 

 to 2 volumes of water) and 100 cc. of 70 per cent alcohol containing 1 per cent 

 (by volume) of hydrochloric acid, and cool to 12 to 14° C. for an hour. Filter 

 and wash with 70 per cent alcohol containing 1 per cent hydrochloric acid at 

 17 to 19°, the precipitate being broken up occasionally by means of a platinum 

 wire bent into a loop. The washing is continued until the filtrate gives no 

 turbidity with water, the washings being measured. Dissolve the precipitate, 

 according to Its bulk in 25 to 70 cc. of hot 90 per cent alcohol, and cool to a 

 fixed temperature between 15 and 20°. If crystals appear in any quantity, allow 

 to stand at this temperature for 1 to 3 hours, filter, wash with a measured 

 volume of 90 per cent alcohol (about half the volume used for crystallization), 

 and finally with 50 cc. of 70 per cent alcohol. Wash the crystals with warm 

 ether into a weighed flask, distill off the ether, dry at 100°, and weigh. If the 

 melting point is lower than 71°, recrystallize from 90 per cent alcohol. 

 Add the correction for the solubility In fX) per cent alcohol as in Renard's 



