AGRICULTTJEAL CHEMISTRY. 809 



An electrical resistance method for the rapid determination of the mois- 

 ture content of grain, L. J. KRiiiCis H'. »S. Dcpt. Agr., Bur. I'liint Indus. Cii—. 

 :<>. i>i>. N. //.'/>■. -i). — This cirt'ular describes an electrical method for deterniiniiifr 

 tile moist lire content in wlieat, to which the exitcriments have so far been confined. 

 It was fonnd tliat tlie eltn-trical resistance of wlicat contaiiiing l.'> iter cent of 

 iiKiistnre is fifty times that of wheat containiny l-"> jier cent. Tlie teniperatnri' 

 of tlie firain must be determined. The results show that tlie moisture coiiteiit 

 can be ascertained by this method with a probable error not exceeding 0.3 per 

 cent. The measurements to be made require only 2 or 3 minutes. The apjia- 

 ratus is portable in character. 



On fat determinations in feeding- stufifs, .\ (J. PALMyrisr {Srrnsk Krin. 

 Tidskr.. 20 ( lUOS). So. .7. /(/(. H.l-IO.i. fifjx. .i; Landw. Vers. Stat.. 69 (1908). \o. 

 o-li. pp. .',(}l-',7.i; (tt)st. in Andli/sl, S'l (1909). So. 396, pp. 101, ]02).--Tho 

 author recomiiieiids a method similar to the RJise-CJottlieb method for deter- 

 mination of fat in feeding stuffs and perha|)s other substances. 



A 2 gm. sample of the finely ground material is heated direct on a water bath 

 for 1 hour with 20 cc. 0.5 per cent hydrochloric acid in a flask the neck of 

 which is graduated from 120 to 100 ce. The solution is then neutralized with 

 o.."> gni. of marble dust, cooled to about 50° C, and 20 cc. of 92 per cent alcohol 

 added. When thoroughly mixed, 40 cc. of ether (specific gravity 0.72) is added 

 and the mixture lieatt'd on a water bath at 45 to 50° for 30 minutes, the flask 

 being connected with a reflux condenser inside of which a stirrer is rotated 

 rapidly by means of a water turbine. After cooling in water to 17°, 00 cc. of 

 petroleum ether (volatile below 75°) is added and shaken with the solution. 

 After standing for an hour. 51 cc. of the efher-fat solution is pipetted off from 

 the flask, placed in a 100 cc. Phillips beaker, evaporated at a low temperature, 

 and weighed. The volume of the remaining portion of the fat solution is de- 

 termined by inverting the stoitjiered flask and reading the volume on the gradu- 

 ated scale of the neck, and the total fat in the fee<ling stuff' thus calculated. 



A simple method . for the quantitative separation of casein from human 

 milk. KNt;KL (liiorlirni. /Jsrhr., I'l (1908), Sns. S-J^. pp. 2.i.'/-~^i7 ) .— The author 

 add«Nl ."»(M» cc. of water and 70 cc. of a 10 per cent normal solution of acetic acid 

 to 1(1) cc. of milk. After standing for a few hours at a temperature of 3 to 4° C. 

 the s<dution was placed in a water bath at 40° for a few minutes, when the 

 casein se|)arate(l comjiletely from the whey in small flakes and was easily re- 

 moved by MItration. 



Estimation of the protein content of milk. \. A. Ronnkma (Phtum. 

 W'rrht)!., .',.', ( r.mS). So. ',1, pp. U.').',-U.-,!i; ,il>.'<. in ('Ik in. Zrutttl.. 1908, II, So. 18, 

 p. t't'iO). — The protein in milk was found to contain an average of 14.3 i»er cent 

 of nitrogen; hence, in estimating the protein content multiply the amount of 

 nitrogen as shown by the KJeldahl method by (J.!)0. 



Estimation of sugar in cow's milk, C. Van Driel (I'liann. \\'((l:l>l.. 4'i 

 (I90.S), So. ',J. pp. U98-130.5; ab.s. in Clirm. Zrntbl., 1908. II. So. <I8, p. I.)',0).— 

 A comparison of the different methods indicates that the amount of lactose is 

 not often accurately d«'termin(Hl. 



The estimation of inorganic compounds in milk, (). .Vi.i.k.mann (Landn-. 

 .hihrl,. Srlnrri:. 2J (1908). So. r,. pp. 268-27 1 ) .—Thv loss of sulphur and 

 ehlorln by the customary methods of incinerating milk solids may be iirevented 

 by addiiiL' sodium peroxid. .\nalyses are given. 



Characteristics of oils from certain expressed seeds, .1. Kochs (Chrni. Her. 

 I'rit u. Harz Indux., 15 (1908), So. 10, pp. 256, 257; abs. in Jour. Sac. Chein. 

 Indus.. 27 (1908). So. 21. p. /07i).— The speciflc gravity, solidiflcatlon point, 

 butyro-refructoiueter numbers, and sapouiflcution, iodin and Keichert-Meissl 



