976 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



In investigating the possibilities of tin from cans being dissolved in 

 fruit juice or in the vinegar sometimes used in canning sardines, the 

 author placed sheets of tin equivalent in size to the interior surface 

 of a can in solutions of varying strength of malic, tartaric, citric, and 

 acetic acids in sealed pint glass jars. The solutions were examined at 

 the end of 3 months, 6 months, and 1 3'ear. One pint of the one- 

 fifteenth normal malic-acid solution in 3 months dissolved 0,0197 gm. 

 tin; the same strength tartaric acid, 0.0246 gm. ; and citric acid, 0.0236 

 gm. It was found in general that the maximum amount of tin was 

 dissolved at the expiration of 3 months. A fifth normal malic-acid 

 solution dissolved 0.0578 gm. tin; a tenth normal solution, 0.0201 gm. ; 

 a tenth normal solution of tartaric acid, 0.0382 gm.; of citric acid, 

 0.0374 gm.; of acetic acid, 0.0019 gm. In 6 months the tenth normal 

 acetic acid had dissolved 0.0083 gm. metallic tin. A method for deter- 

 mining tin in canned goods is described. 



Studies on beans, T, Kosutant {Landiv. Vers. Stat., 5 If. {1900)., Wo. 

 5-6, 2>p. JfiS-Jj,79, pi. 1). — The author reports the composition of a 

 number of sorts of beans of French origin and of the same varieties 

 grown in Hungary, together with the weight of the beans, a chemical 

 study of bean oil or fat, and the results of tests of the time required 

 for cooking in distilled water, tap water (river water), and well water, 

 and water to which sodium carbonate or magnesia had been added. As 

 shown by the amount of water absorbed, l)eans cooked better in distilled 

 water than in tap water or well water. Although the softening of the 

 beans ]>y cooking is influenced by the lime and magnesium content of 

 the water, it is not directly proportional to the lime content. Fresh 

 beans did not cook as readily as older ones. The beans cooked more 

 readily when soda was added to the water, and less readily when 

 magnesia was added. 



Remarks on the use of borax and formaldehyde as preserva- 

 tives of food, W. I). Hallibuktox {British Med. Jour., 1900, AV>. 

 2062. pp. 1, '2; ahs. in British Food Jour., 2 {1900), No. 21, j). 2U)-— 

 In experiments by methods of artificial digestion the author found 

 that 1 part of borax in 1,()00 parts of milk completely prevented the 

 curdling ac-tion of rennet and even smaller amounts of borax delayed 

 this action. Formaldehyde hindered very markedly the digestibility 

 of fibrin and starch. It appears that soaking two or three days in a 

 0.5 per cent solution of formaldehyde rendered the artificial gastric 

 digestion of fibrin almost impossible and that even soaking in 0.05 

 per cent of formaldehyde hindered it very much. Fresh fibrin was 

 digested in 30 minutes by a pepsin solution. When soaked 2 day.s in 

 a 0.05 per cent formaldehyde solution it was digested in 96 minutes 

 and when soaked in a (». 1 per cent solution or over, it was not digested 

 at all in 2-4 hours. Formaklehyde, even in small amounts, hindered 

 the pancreatic digestion of starch. The addition of 2 drops of forma- 



