CONVENTION OF OFT ICIAL AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTS. 507 

 ASH ANALYSIS. 



The it'tVivo, A. E. Shuttleworth, outlined the work on ash and the 

 method of procedure. Results were reported from 8 analysts. The 

 writer stated that the place to begin the improvement of the method 

 of analyses is in the preparation of the ash. Volatilization and fusion 

 are two noteworthy sources of error. The use of calcium acetate solu- 

 tion overcomes the difiiculty of fusion, and a closed platinum apparatus 

 prevents volatilizatioii. These were adopted by the Association as 

 official. A paper by G. S. Fraps was submitted on the Loss of sulphur 

 in preparing- ash of plants. Two methods were tested. Ten grams 

 of substance were burned alone at as low temperature as possible, and 

 10 gm. were burned after the addition of a solution of calcium acetate. 

 In no case was all the sulphur of the plant contained in the ash, and 

 the loss with the calcium acetate was from 6 to 100 per cent more than 

 when the substance was burned alone. 



FOODS AND FEEDINCr STUFFS. 



The report was presented by W. H. Krug and covered the results 

 for 2 years. Three samples consisting of wheat, bran, and peas were 

 sent out. From the results obtained, three suggestions were made by 

 the referee: (1) That the present methods for moisture be further 

 studied with the view of fixing the time required and the exact tem- 

 perature at which the determination must be made; (2) the further 

 study of the effect of various methods of distillation on the results 

 obtained by the phloroglucin method; and (3) the determination of the 

 effect of the length of time which the precipitated distillate stands 

 upon the amount of phloroglucin obtained. 



G. S. Fraps presented Notes on the determination of pentosans and 

 crude fiber. Attention was called to probable sources of error in the 

 official method of distillation in determining pentosans, in the quality 

 of phloroglucin used, and in the composition of the products obtained 

 by distillation of pentosans with hydrochloric acid. A method devised 

 b}' Kcmig was proposed foi" preparing crude fiber practically free from 

 pentosans (E. S. R., 10, p. 411). A method of purifying phloroglucin 

 was adopted; also several changes in manipulation in the provisional 

 method for the determination of pentosans by means of phloroglucin. 



DAIRY PRODUCTS. 



In his report the referee on dairy products, J. B. Weems, outlined 

 the work of the past year, which was the investigation of the official 

 and provisional methods and their modifications in determining casein 

 and albumen in milk. The results of the different analysts were pre- 

 sented and certain changes in the methods reconuuended. The Frear 

 alum method was sul)stituted for the magnesium sulphate method for 

 determinino- the casein in milk. 



