422 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. L. No. 1296 



in Science, for September 19. The following is a 

 list of the papers with abstracts in so far as they 

 have been obtained: 



l' GENERAL MEETING 



■ Some problems and methods in agricultural re- 

 search: H. J. Wheeler. 



' Some physiological effects produced iy radiating 

 definite regions within a single cell: W. V. BoviE. 



' Stream pollution and its relation to the chem- 

 ical industries: Earle B. Phelps. Published in 

 full in Jour. Ind. and Eng. Chem., 10 (1919), 928. 

 The relation of stream pollution to the chemical 

 industries is two-fold. Many industries require 

 water supplies of good quality, and most of them 

 produce liquid wastes which, if discharged with- 

 out treatment into the water courses, tend to pol- 

 lute those waters. "With the growth of industry, 

 and the increasing joint use of streams for the 

 purposes of water supply and waste disposal con- 

 flicts of interest are bound to arise. 



In most states this matter comes under the ad- 

 ministrative activity of the public health officials, 

 who likewise initiate or assist in framing the laws. 

 Manufacturing interests have in the past exerted 

 merely obstructive influence. 



Stream pollution and its control involve prob- 

 lems of engineering, chemistry, biology and eco- 

 nomics. The first aim is the fixing of standards of 

 permissible pollution which will develop the maxi- 

 mum advantageous use of the streams. 

 ' The subject of treatment presents many inter- 

 esting chemical problems, and its study fre- 

 quently leads to important recoveries of by-prod- 

 ucts. 



' The subject of stream pollution and its control 

 is broader than its legal and remedial phases; its 

 public-health interests or its manufacturing in- 

 terests; its broader than state jurisdictions. It is 

 a part of the problem of the maximum utilization 

 and development of our waterways. As such it is 

 essentially a Federal problem, calling for exten- 

 sive investigation and uniform treatment. Its im- 

 portance should be fully recognized in the crea- 

 tion of any such federal commission as the Inter- 

 state Waterways Commission which has recently 

 been suggested. 



' The iuilding of atoms and the periodic systems: 

 W. D. Harkins. (To be printed in Science.) 



' The chemical laboratory as a publicity factor: 

 Egbert P. Fischelis. See Jour. Ind and Eng. 

 Chem., 10 (1919), 929. 



division of agricultural and rooD chemistry 

 W. D. Richardson, Chairman. 

 T. J. Bryan, Secretary. 

 What was the diet of aboriginal man? W. D. 



ElCHARDSON. 



On the constitution of butterfat: W. D. Eichard- 



SON. 



Some experiments on simple dietaries: W. D. 



ElCHARDSON. 



Influence of segregation upon the composition of 

 sugar products: C. A. Browne. The author after 

 a brief mention of the uneven distribution of the 

 constituents of different sugar products, such as 

 honey, sirup, sugars, jelly, etc., produced by grav- 

 ity, capillarity, evaporation and other causes, cites 

 the specific instance of low grade molasses. Top 

 and bottom portions of Cuban molasses, which 

 gave no visible indications of deposits, showed 

 from 2.50 per cent, to nearly 4 per cent, more ash 

 and from 0.25 per cent, to 1.40 per cent, more or- 

 ganic non-sugars in the bottom layers. Similar but 

 less pronounced differences were observed in case of 

 refinery molasses. As a result of the settling out 

 of insoluble salts and gums the top portions of un- 

 mixed molasses may be expected to contain more 

 water, sucrose and invert sugar than the bottom 

 portions. 



, The hydroscopic capacity of certain food con- 

 stituents: C. A. Browne. The moisture-absorb- 

 ing capacity of levulose agar, gelatin, peptone, 

 bread, cellulose and sucrose are given for different 

 conditions of atmospheric humidity. For ordi- 

 nary conditions the power of the substances to ab- 

 sorb moisture decreases in the order named. As 

 regards influence of season food products have the 

 least moisture in February and the highest mois- 

 ture in July and August. The ratio of moisture 

 content to humidity and the influence of lag (due 

 to time of adjustment between surface and inter- 

 ior moisture) are discussed. The rates of absorp- 

 tion for the different substances under constant 

 humidity are given, also a few practical bearings 

 which the results have upon commercial and 

 "analytical problems. 



Tlie relative importance of some coloring m,at- 

 ters in sugar cane juices and syrups : F. W. Zerban. 



Nutrition experiments with low-cost protein 

 diets with reference to the utilization of peanut 

 and soy bean flours: Carl O. Johns, A. J. Finks 

 and Mabel S. Paul. 



The amount and distribution of iron in the corn 

 plant: G. N. HorPEK, E. H. Carr and I. L. Bald- 

 win. 



