1916.1 PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 51a 



DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY. 



J. B. LINDSEY, 



For convenience the station department of chemistry is 

 divided into the research, fertilizer, and feed and dairy sections. 



1. Work of the Research Section. 



(a) Mr. Beals, under the direction of Dr. Lindsey, has con- 

 ducted a study of the nutritive value of vegetable ivory meal, 

 including its chemistry, digestibility and value for milk produc- 

 tion. Additional experiments by Dr. Lindsey along the same 

 line are still in progress. Although tasteless and tough, this 

 material appears to be quite well utilized by sheep and cows. 



Digestion work completed includes a study of cabbages, car- 

 rots, pumpkins, soy bean hay and garbage tankage. 



(6) Dr. Holland and Mr. Buckley have continued their 

 studies in the chemistry of butter fat. The modification of the 

 Hehner and Mitchell method for determining the amount of 

 stearic acid in the insoluble acids of butter fat has been further 

 investigated and a report submitted for publication in the 

 "Journal of Agricultural Research." The method yields a 

 much higher percentage of stearic acid both in butter fat and 

 palm oil than was formerly thought to be present. The method 

 for determining unsaponifiable matter in oils and fats has been 

 perfected. The process is essentially an extraction of the dry 

 soaps with anhydrous ethyl ether, with subsequent purification 

 of the extract. 



The stability test with olive oil is now on the sixth year, as it 

 was considered advisable to examine the remaining set of 

 samples in March, 1916, before drawing the work to a close. 



The high mortality in the apiaries of the State during the 

 past few years has necessitated the examination in the station 



