1098 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



Pure British, dried vegetables (Lancet [London], 1906, L, Xo. 11, p. 766). — Com- 

 mercial dried or evaporated vegetables are described, which are regarded as of good 

 quality. It is stated that the condition of the food constituents was not changed by 

 evaporation, the albumins of the dried product being still soluble. Color and fresh- 

 ness of flavor, it is stated, were also little affected. 



The occurrence of esters in bananas, F. Rothenbach and L. Eberlein (Deut. 

 Essigindus., 1905, Xo. 9, pp. SI, 82; abs. in Ztschr. Untersuch. Nahr. u. Genussmtl., 

 11 (1906), Xo. 4, pp. 230, 231). — The authors report isovaleric-isoamyl ester and 

 ethyl ester in bananas. The possible occurrence of amyl acetate is also noted. 

 Experiments showed that ester formation did not depend upon micro-organisms, but 

 was a product of cell activity. 



Commercial extract of lemon, A. McGill (Lab. Inland Bee. Dep>t. [Canada], 

 Bui. 114, PP- 15). — Considerable range in alcohol strength and in lemon oil content 

 was noted. Of the 110 samples examined, 2 contained 6 per cent or more of lemon 

 oil and 78 less than 1 per cent. No methyl alcohol was found. 



Coffees without caffein, G. Bertrand (Compt. Rend. Acad. >SW. [Paris], 141 

 (1905), Xo. 3, pp. 209-211). — According to the author's analyses, the berries of 

 Coffea gattienii, C. bonnier), C. mogeneti, and C. humblotiana contain no caffein. The 

 ash, water, and total nitrogen in the samples were also determined. A sample of 

 ( '. mauritiana contained only a very small percentage of caffein, namely, 0.7 gm. per 

 kilogram. A sample of C. arabica, analyzed at the same time, showed 13.4 gm. 

 caffein per kilogram. 



Maple sugar and sirup, W. F. Hubbard ( U. 8. Dept. Agr., Farmers' Bid. 252, ptp. 

 36, figs. 9). — This bulletin is based on a publication of the Bureau of Forestry pre- 

 viously noted (E. S. R., 17, pp. 774, 790). 



Physiological studies of vegetarian diet, W. Caspari (Arch. Physiol. [Pfluger], 

 109 (1905), Xo. 11-12, pp. 473-595, pis. 3). — Extended studies are reported of vege- 

 tarian and raw fruitarian diet. In connection with this work studies were made of 

 the metabolism of nitrogen, the digestibility of the diet, and the effect of the food on 

 the respiratory quotient. Two of the subjects were professional athletes, one a veg- 

 etarian, the other not. The general conclusions drawn were in effect as follows: 



A strictly vegetable diet, even when made up of raw foods, is able to nourish the 

 body in youth and maintain it at the highest degree of physical strength and mental 

 and physical power, yet this sort of diet is considered unsatisfactory because the 

 nutrients, particularly protein, are not well assimilated because the food is lacking 

 in flavor and is of large volume. The vegetarian diet when made up of ordinary veg- 

 etables, fruits, etc., has an advantage in that it is not expensive. 



It did not appear that the vegetarian diet surpassed the ordinary diet on account 

 of the small amount of uric acid formed. As is commonly claimed the amount of 

 purin bodies formed was small as compared with the quantity obtained with an 

 excessive meat diet and under certain pathological conditions. As regards the per- 

 formance of muscular work the vegetarian diet certainly is not superior to the ordi- 

 nary mixed diet. 



A respiration calorimeter with appliances for the direct determination of 

 oxygen, W. 0. Atwater and F. G. Benedict ( Washington, D. C: Carnegie Institu- 

 tion of Washington, 1905, pp. X^-193, figs. 49).— This volume includes a detailed 

 description of a respiration calorimeter and accessory apparatus which the authors 

 have devised lor experiments with man, together with the results of check experi- 

 ments to determine the accuracy of the apparatus and an experiment with man. 



The respiration calorimeter has been in process of development for 12 years, and 

 much of the work connected with it has been a part of the cooperative nutrition 

 investigations of the Department of Agriculture and reported in Department publica- 

 tions (E. 8. R., 15, p. 698; 17, p. 165). Under the auspices of the Carnegie lnstitu- 



