Mr John. Hunter on Analysis of Feeding Stuffs. 61 



Wedtiesdaij, 21st April 1875.— David Grieve, Esq., President, in the Chair. 



The following donations were laid on the table, and thanks voted to the 

 donors : 



1. Proceedings of the Eoyal Society, No. 159, Yol. XXIIL— From the 

 Society. 2. Annual Report of the Geologists' Association, 1874. — From the 

 Association. 3. Eighth Annual Eeport of the Perthshire Society of Natural 

 Science. — From the'Society. 4. Keport of the St Petersburg Botanic Garden 

 {in Russian). — From the Director. 



The following Committees were appointed for the summer : 

 Entomology : Messrs George Logan, W. S. , R. Scot-Skirving, Andrew Wilson, 

 J. Gibson, and Dr F. W. Lyon ; Convener: Mr R. F. Logan. Marine Zoology : 

 Dr M'Baiu, R. N. , Professor Turner, DrTraquair, the Rev. Professor Duns, D.D., 

 Dr Stre thill- Wright, Dr Lyon, and Messrs R. F. Logan, A. Wilson, C. AV. 

 Peach, James Anderson, Andrew S. Melville, and Robert Gray; Convener: Dr 

 Robert Brown. Geology: Dr M'Bain, R.N., Professor Duns, Dr R. Brown, 

 and Messrs David Grieve and Andrew Taylor; Convener: Mr C. W. Peach; 

 Vice- Convener : Mr D. J. Brown. 



The following communications were made : 



I. Notes on the Analysis of Feeding Stuffs, with speeial refer- 

 ence to an improvement upon the Method in general lose 

 for Separation of Indigestible (or Woody) Fibre. By 

 John Hunter, Esq., City Analyst's Laboratory. 



In these notes which I now lay before the Society, I will 

 first briefly describe the process I use for the estimation of 

 woody or indigestible fibre; after which I will give a few 

 of the reasons wliich have actuated me in so doing. 



The process which, so far as I am aware, has been com- 

 monly adopted for this purpose, consists in alternately treating 

 a known quantity of the substance being examined, with sodium 

 or potassium hydrate, and sulphuric acid (with, of course, the 

 requisite washings after each), first in a cold solution, and 

 next in a warm solution, necessitating in all at least twelve 

 different digestions and washings. The obstinacy attending 

 the subsidation of the undissolved matter (subsidation and 

 decantation being of course the means adopted for the re- 

 moval of the dissolved matter) was so great in most cases as 

 to render it impossible to obtain anything like a correct result 

 within a week. In the analysis of feeding material, one of 

 the most important operations is the determination of the 

 amount of oil present ; and it is in the taking advantage of 

 this operation that my improvement consists, i.e., that portion 



VOL. IV. H 



