412 



SCIENCE 



[Vol. liVI, No. 1450 



farmers in New York have been protected by 

 law in the past against inaccurate glassware 

 which would influence the butter fat test. New 

 York was one of the first states in the Union 

 to compel all glassware jobbers and manufac- 

 turers to submit their glassware to be tested for 

 accuracy previous to its sale. Since 1900, the 

 experiment station has tested all the Babcock 

 glassware used in New York before it was 

 offered for sale. All glassware meeting the re- 

 quirements is marked S. B., or state branded, 

 to show that it has ben tested and found cor- 

 rect. 



The purpose of the amendment of the old 

 law is to reduce errors in testing milk and 

 cream for butter fat by the Babcock method by 

 reducing the number of kinds of glassware that 

 can be legally used in making the test. During 

 1921 the experiment station tested more than 

 39,000 test bottles and pipettes representing 

 more than 24 distinct types. Many of these 

 types, although accurately made, were so con- 

 structed as to lead to errors. Such glassware 

 is now illegal. Only five types of glassware 

 are now permitted by law. These are the usual 

 8 per cent, milk bottle, the 9-gram short and 

 long cream bottles, the 18-gram long cream 

 bottle, and the plain 17.6 cc. pipette. The New 

 York law, which is now in force, is in accord- 

 ance with the provisions of the United States 

 Bureau of Standards. 



Babcock glassware takes its name from Dr. 

 S. M. Babcock, of the University of Wisconsin, 

 who perfected the method of testing milk and 

 cream for butter fat. The method is now used 

 universally as a basis for payment to the 

 farmer for his milk and cream. 



THE CONFERENCE ON HIGHWAYS 



Increasing interest in the forthcoming con- 

 ference on highway transport and highway en- 

 gineering education, to be held by the Highway 

 Education Board in Washington, from October 

 26 to 28, is refiected in replies to invitations 

 from educators and men high in the councils of 

 the automotive industry. It is estimated that 

 at least three hundred regularly invited dele- 

 gates will be present, with approximately half 

 as many more in attendance who are concerned 

 in the problems to be studied. The headquar- 



ters of the conference will be the New Willard 

 Hotel. 



Ten committees are now preparing reports 

 for submission to the conference as a whole. 

 They will function with an educational chair- 

 man directing the research of their respective 

 committees. H. W. Leavitt, assistant pro- 

 fessor of civil engineering. University of 

 Maine, is educational chairman of the com- 

 mittee on "Required Elective Undergraduate 

 Subjects in Highway Engineering." L. W. 

 Melntyre, assistant professor of civil engineer- 

 ing. University of Pittsburgh, is educational 

 chairman of the committee on "Required and 

 Elective Undergraduate Subjects for Highway 

 Transport Business and Engineering Posi- 

 tions." On the committee, "Subject Matter of 

 Basic Required Undergraduate Course in 

 Highway Engineering," L. E. Conrad, pro- 

 fessor of civil engineering, Kansas State Agri- 

 cultural College, will serve as educational 

 chairman. 



Other educational chairmen and their com- 

 mittees are : C. B. Breed, professor of civil 

 engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Tech- 

 nology, "Subject Matter of Basic Under- 

 graduate Course in Highway Transport"; 

 C. C. Wiley, assistant professor of highway 

 engineering. University of Illinois, "Subject 

 Matter of Undergraduate Course in Highway 

 Engineering Theory and Design"; C. A. 

 Baughman, professor of civil engineering, Ala- 

 bama Polytechnic Institute, "Subject Matter 

 of Undergraduate Course in Highway Engi- 

 neering Laboratory"; Charles S. Howe, presi- 

 dent of the Case School of Applied Science, 

 "Nature and 'Content of Supporting Non- 

 Technical Courses in Economies and English"; 

 H. C. Smith, assistant professor of highway en- 

 gineering and highway transport. University 

 of Michigan, "Graduate Work in Highway En- 

 gineering and Highway Transport"; C. C. 

 Albright, professor of civil engineering, Pur- 

 due University, "Conferences or Short Courses 

 on Highway Engineering and Highway Trans- 

 port"; H. J. Hughes, dean Harvard Engineer- 

 ing School, "Teaching Highway Trafflc Regu- 

 lation and Safety." 



Among the automotive officials who plan to 

 attend are Alvan Macauley, president Packard 



