508 EXPERIMENT STATION EECOKD. 



tain. Numerous fish eggs as caviar, carp, and red bream eggs and the yolk 

 from the turtle give positive reactions with fowl egg yolli serum. The ovary 

 of the turtle gave negative results. 



A new instrument for measuring" strength of alcoholic liquids (Sci. Amen 

 Sup., 75 {1913), No. 1952, p. 342). — A description of Contassot's ebullioscope, 

 which is intended for the rapid determination of alcohol in wine, beer, cider, 

 etc. The operation requires from 5 to 6 minutes, and determines the boiling 

 points of both the liquid and of pure water. " The usual method adopted for 

 this purpose is to determine the boiling point of the liquid; this alone, how- 

 ever, is not enough, the boiling point of pure water must always be determined 

 at the same time, since it depends on the b:irometric pressure." 



An attempt to estimate the vitamin fraction in milk, C. Funk (Biochcm. 

 Jour., 7 (1913), No. 2, pp. 211-213). — The solids obtained from the evaporation 

 of milk from London dairies in vacuo at 30° C. were dried at constant weight 

 and shaken with alcohol for two hours. A portion of this alcoholic extract 

 was evaporated to dryness and the residue extracted with water, and from 

 the aqueous solution thus obtained the vitamin was precipitated with a 10 

 per cent solution of phosphotungstic acid. 



The amount of beri-beri vitamin, as shown by this method, varied from 10 

 to 30 mg. per liter of fresh milk. "The figures show the milk after removal 

 of fat by centrifuging has lost about 50 per cent of vitamin and allantoin." 



"After the elimination of the vitamin fraction the residual nitrogen amounts 

 to 20 to 50 mg. per liter of milk. This residual nitrogen represents in all 

 probability allantoin. Assuming this to be correct, 1 liter of milk contains 

 0.08 to 0.15 gm. allantoin, a figure in good agreement with that obtained by 

 Ackroyd by means of a direct method, namely 0.199 gm." It is also interesting 

 to note that in allantoin we have a substance which, like vitamin, is destroyed 

 by boiling. 



The problems which have presented themselves in connection with this in- 

 vestigation, it is announced, will be more fully discussed in a later publication. 



Aluminum hydroxid as a protein precipitating reagent in the determina- 

 tion of lactose in milk, W. H. Welkee and H. L. Marsh (Jour. Amer. Chem. 

 Sac, 35 {1913), No. 6, pp. 823, 824).— The results obtained with milks (human 

 and cow's), clarified with aluminum cream and the copper sulphate-alkali 

 method, show close agreement when examined for their lactose content. The 

 lactose was determined by the copper reduction method with Fehling's solu- 

 tion, and the reduced copper was estimated by the cuprous iodid method as 

 modified by Low. 



Adulteration of milk.. — Watering", C. Poecher (Indus. Lait. [Paris], 38 

 (1913), Nos. 31, pp. 503-505; 32, pp. 511-518, fig. 1; 33, pp. 532-536; 34, PP- 

 547-550; 35, pp. 565-567; 36, pp. 577, 578). — This is a discussion and study in 

 regard to the value of different methods for detecting adulterations in milk, in- 

 cluding the cryoscopic or freezing test and the refractive index and specific 

 gravity tests. The physiology of milk secretion is also considered, and it is 

 shown wherein the natural watering of milk by an increased allowance of 

 drinking water is unimportant. 



A rapid method for determining the addition of water to buttermilk, 

 H. M. HoYBERG (Ztschr. Fleisch u. Milchhyg., 23 (1912), No. 5, pp. 104-107).— 

 In Denmark the addition of ice directly to buttermilk for cooling purposes is 

 prohibited, consequently in controlling the milk supply the presence of an ex- 

 cess of water from this source must be considered. As nitrates are not always 

 present in Danish waters, the test for nitrates can not be used. The determina- 

 tion of fat and fat-free dry substances can not be employed because the results 

 vary too much. A better procedure seems to be to determine the specific gravity 



