936 EXPEHI.MKXr STATION KKCOKl). 



After srowiufj t()l)act'() (((iitiiiiKHisly for r» years on the sauie soil green manur- 

 ing gave good results, tliiis sliowing tliat fertility had declined. Crntalaria 

 rctuxil as a green-niannring crop produced a good growth early enoiigh In the 

 season to he plowed under at the jjroper time. Irrigation increased the leaf 

 surface of plants ahont lOf) per cent. 



The relation of nicotine to the quality of tobacco, W. W. Garnkb (U. K. 

 Uept. Agr., Jim: I'Irint Indua. liuL l.'/l, pi. /, pp. Hi). — 'Plie variation in the nico- 

 tine content and its relation to the quality of tohacco are discussed, and the 

 results of experiments reported. 



Extraction with p(»troleuni ether of a sample of domestic filler tohacco pos- 

 sessing a peculiar pungency or harshness was fomid to remove the oh.jectionable 

 qualities. The ether extract, however, contained only a portion of the nicotine 

 in the tobacco. The nicotine was apparently present in at least two forms, one 

 of which is soluble in petroleum ether while the other is practically insoluble. 



The total nicotine present in a sample of Connecticut wrapper-leaf tobacco 

 before fermentation was 3.39 per cent and after fermentation 2..S9 per cent, 

 representing a loss of 0.5 per cent in the fermentation process. The nicotine 

 soluble in petroleum ether before fermentation was 1.00 per cent, while that 

 soluble after fermentation was 1.01 per cent. The loss of total nicotine in fer- 

 mentation therefore corresponds very closely to the difference between the 

 amount soluble in petroleum ether before and after fermentation. 



The author concludes that "the undesirable sharpness or pungency contained 

 in the smoke from certain types of cigar-filler tobacco and which constitutes 

 one of the two factors included in the term 'strength,' as applied to the smoke, 

 is due almost entirely to the volatile, easily soluble form of nicotine which acts 

 as if it were in the free state. On the other hand, tlie true physiological effects 

 of the smoke, as embodied in the term ' fullness,' are proportional to the total 

 quantity of nicotine." 



It was found that "the pungent, harsh quality of the smoke is partially, but 

 not entirely, removed by protracted I'esweating and aging of the tobacco, 

 whereby the easily volatile nicotine is largely expelled. This undesirable prop- 

 erty is entirely removed by extracting the tobacco with petroleum ether, which 

 simply dissolves out the volatile nicotine. Finally, the addition of sufficient 

 citric acid to the tobacco to combine with all of this easily volatile nicotine 

 efficiently overcomes the sharpness or pungency of tlie smoke." 



Alaska wheat investigation, H. T. French and J. S. Jonks {Idiihn Sta. Bill. 

 6'5, pp. 3-12). — A classification of this wheat is given, the claims made for it are 

 reviewed, and tests made at the station are reported. 



Analyses made of the gi'ain and the flour of Little Club and Alaska spring and 

 Alaska winter wheat showed that in total protein and protein in the form of 

 gliadin the Alaska wheat flour in both cases was somewhat higher than that 

 from Little Club, which is described as a soft wheat, ranking probably about 

 halfway between the best and the poorest milling varieties. The gluten in the 

 Alaska spring wheat flour was rather hard to wash out. but when once obtained 

 it seemed to be of i)ractically the same quality as that secured from either of the 

 other flours although somewhat less in amount. The water required to make a 

 dough out of 310 gm. of flour for the different wheats was as follows : Little 

 Club 180 cc, Alaska spring 182 cc, and Alaska winter 182 cc. 



In baking tests both Alaska wheats gave noticeably whiter bread than did the 

 Little Club. It was concluded from these tests that the gluten in the Little Club 

 flour is somewhat stronger and quicker acting than that of the Alaska flours, 

 Init on the whole there was very little difference in the baking qualities of the 

 flour obtained from the different wheats. The yield of Alaska wheat grown in 



