804 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



for a few days at room temperature, a sediment of stearin flakes was de- 

 posited. The constants of the oil were as follows: Specific gravity at 15° C, 

 0.9331; refraction at 40°, 71.2; at 25°, 79.8; iodin number 167.2; saponification 

 number 190.4; Plehner number 95.72; degree of acidity 6.8; free oleic acid 1.92 

 per cent; Reichert-Meissl number 0.66; Polenske number 0.3; Baudouin re- 

 action, negative; Halphen reaction, negative; and Beliier reaction, positive. The 

 figures given by the fatty acids were for refraction at 40°, 57.3 ; iodin number 

 177.3; saponification number 200.7; and middle molecular weight 278. The 

 hexabromid figure (Hehner and Mitchell) corresponded to that obtained for 

 linseed oil, and linoleic acid was probably proven to be present in the oil. 



The seeds of the mountain cranberi-y {V. vitis iclcea) had the following 

 chemical composition when calculated to dry substance : Protein 24.71 per cent, 

 ether extract 32.03, crude fiber and nitrogen-free extract 41.01, and ash 2.25 per 

 cent. The oil obtained from the seeds was light yellow in color and gave the 

 following constants: Specific gravity at 15°, 0.9301; refraction at 25°, 75; at 

 40°, 83.4; iodin number 169.2; saponification number 190.1; Hehner number 

 95.7 ; acidity degree 3.45 ; free oleic acid 0.97 per cent ; Reichert-Meissl number 

 0.55, Polenske number 0.3; Beliier reaction, positive; Baudouin reaction, nega- 

 tive; and Halphen reaction, negative. The fatty acids gave the following fig- 

 ures : Refraction at 40°, 60.4 ; iodin number 178.6 ; middle molecular weight 281 ; 

 and saponification number 195.8. Linoleic acid was present. The weight of 

 1,000 seeds was 262 mg. 



The hemagglutinating and precipitating' properties of the bean, E. C. 

 Schneider (Jour. Biol. Chem., 11 (1912), No. 1, pp. 4'^-^9; abs. in Cenfbl. Bakt. 

 [etcl, 1. AU., Ref., 56 {WIS), No. 3, pp. 66, 67).— The protein obtained from 

 the Scarlet Runner bean contains a very active blood agglutinating agent. The 

 protein of other beans contains less of this agglutinating substance. It is sup- 

 posed to be a product of hydrolysis. The agglutinating substances were found 

 to vanish gradually from the cotyledons and simultaneously with any nutrient 

 material which might be stored up in the seed. Extracts made from the roots, 

 stems, or leaves of the bean were found to have no agglutinating properties. 

 If rabbit serum is added to the clear extract of the bean, a flocculent precipitate 

 is obtained. The latter reaction does not always agree with the agglutinating 

 properties and it seems to have some relation to the phaseolin of the bean. 



The chemical composition of some fungi, E. Winterstein, C. Reuter, and 

 R. KoROLEW (Landio. Vers. Stat., 79-80 (1913), pp. 541-S62).— In addition to 

 the material on Boletus edulis fungi which has been noted previously (E. S. R., 

 28, p. 501), this article deals with autolyzing tests made with a paste of an 

 edible mushroom (Agaricus campestris) containing when calculated on an air- 

 dry basis 9.3 per cent of total nitrogen, of which 4.82 per cent is protein and 

 chitin nitrogen, 0.73 per cent due to nitrogenous bases, and the remainder repre- 

 sents amino and other forms of nitrogen. A part of the fluid portion of the 

 autolyzed mixture, shaken with kaolin and flltered through paper, contained, 

 when calculated to dry substance, total nitrogen 11.06, protein nitrogen 0.67, 

 nitrogen in the form of amino acids, etc. 8.16, basic nitrogen 1.63, and am- 

 moniacal nitrogen 0.6 per cent. 



The remaining portion of the autolyzate was extracted with chloroform, and 

 from the chloroform extract a hydrochlorid salt was prepared which physio- 

 logically resembled imidazolylethylamin. The substances yielded a precipitate 

 with phosphomolybdic acid, potassium, bismuth iodid, phosphotungstic acid, and 

 picric acid. The precipitate obtained with the latter substances flnally be- 

 came crystallized. A gold salt, corresponding to isoamylaminchloraurat 

 (C5H13NHAUCI4) was also obtained. Of the purin bases, guanin was probably 

 present, and adenin, xanthin, and hypoxanthin were noted. So-called histidin, 



