1918.1 PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 39a 



DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY. 



J. B. LINDSEY. 



The work of this department is divided into three distinct 

 sections, — research, fertilizer, and feed and dairy. 



1. Research Section. 



(a) During the past year Dr. Lindsey and Mr. Beals have 

 conducted experiments on the nutritive value of alfalfa; also 

 considerable digestion work with sheep has been completed, 

 including studies of the digestibility of Sudan grass, vinegar 

 grains, alfalfa, sweet clover, carrots and Schumacher's Stock 

 Feed. Experiments with horses on the digestibility and avail- 

 able energy in alfalfa, corn, oats, wheat bran, corn bran, brew- 

 ers' grains, and in rations compounded from the same, have 

 been completed, and other similar trials are in progress. Studies 

 on the growth and feeding value of sweet clover and of Sudan 

 grass have been made. 



(6) Dr. Holland, assisted by Mr. Buckle}^ reports that the 

 work on esterification methods for determining different fatty 

 acids in butter fat has proved more successful than was antici- 

 pated. Instead of determining only lauric acid and possibly 

 myristic acid from the insoluble acids as originally planned, it 

 has been found possible to determine caproic, caprylic, capric, 

 lauric and myristic acids quantitatively from the butter fat. 

 The method is practicable and promises material assistance 

 in dairy studies. A detailed account of the work has been 

 accepted for publication in the "Journal of Agricultural Re- 

 search." 



A report has been prepared for publication in the same jour- 

 nal on the effect of air, light and moisture, singly and in com- 



