July 9, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



43 



species by W. P. Hay, who named it C. iartoni, var. 

 tenehrosus. It is a good species, however, of dif- 

 ferent general conformation from the species 

 named, with which it does not intergrade. In fact, 

 the surface-water species does not occur in some lo- 

 calities in which this small-eyed species is found. 

 As a valid species it is believed to be entitled to 

 the name Cambarus teneirosus. 



A new phyllopod crustacean from KentucTcy: H. 

 Gabman, Kentucky Experiment Station. Tempo- 

 rary pools in Bluegrass Kentucky sometimes yield 

 in early spring a species of Eubranchipus differing 

 from the common species (S. vernalis) of eastern 

 states and also from those found in Illinois and 

 other middle states. The name Eubranchipus neg- 

 lectus is assigned to it. During the thirty years it 

 has been known to the author it has diminished in 

 numbers, owing to changing conditions, and seems 

 likely to become extinct; it has, in fact, disap- 

 peared in certain pools where thousands could have 

 been secured twenty-five years ago. 



Studies in the etiology of infectious abortion in 

 live stock: E. S. Good, Kentucky Experiment Sta- 

 tion. Bacillus abortus Bang is the organism caus- 

 ing the disease in the cow, in the United States, 

 the same as in foreign countries. In 1911, a ba- 

 cillus was isolated at the Kentucky Station from 

 an aborted foal which we placed in Sub-group 2 

 of the Colon-typhoid group, which was found to be 

 the cause of the disease in mares and jennets in 

 Kentucky. Since that time, this germ has been 

 found to be the causative agent of the disease in 

 different states of this country, also in Canada, 

 Holland and Sweden. Our results in immunizing 

 mares against the disease are encouraging. Our 

 investigations, so far, show that the Bacillus 

 abortus Bang is the causative agent of the disease 

 in sows. 



Mineral constituents of the paired seeds of 

 cocTclebur: J. S. McHargue, Kentucky Experi- 

 ment Station. The impression is general that one 

 of the two seeds of a eocklebur {XantMum) will 

 germinate the first spring after maturity and the 

 second will remain dormant until the second spring 

 thereafter. Previous investigators have attributed 

 this apparent dormancy to inherent differences in 

 the embryos and the seed coats. The writer finds 

 that both seeds, if well developed, will germinate 

 at approximately the same time, if they are re- 

 moved from the burs and planted in moist sand. 

 If allowed to remain in the burs, only one seed 

 germinates until the bur disintegrates and decays, 

 when the second seed will germinate. The mineral 



constituents contained in the two seeds were found 

 to be practically the same. The large seeds aver- 

 age about 65. mga. and the small seeds about 45. 

 mgs. The large seeds produce larger seedlings. 

 This is accounted for by the fact that a large 

 seed contains much more plant food than a smaU 

 one. 



Hydrogen ion concentration and biological re- 

 actions: D. J. Hkait, Kentucky Experiment Sta- 

 tion. The fundamental importance of hydrogen 

 ion concentration in the study of colloids, gels, 

 enzymes and microbes was pointed out and illus- 

 trated by exhibits. An organic colloidal liquid at 

 pH7.8 could not be past through a Pasteur-Cham- 

 berland F. bougie, but on adjusting the value to 

 pH2, it passed easUy. A 10 per cent, bacto-gela- 

 tin at pH5 formed a perfect gel, but with acidity 

 equal to N/2 HCl or alkalinity of pHlO, there was 

 no gel. The oxidase of raw potato or apple was 

 quite active at pHl.7, as shown by change in color 

 of slices exposed to the air, but when fresh slices 

 were soaked 15 minutes in water adjusted to pHl 

 and pHl.4, respectively, they dried in the air, with- 

 out material change of color. A bacillus isolated 

 from the afterbirth from a mare grew readily on 

 agar slants of pH6.8 but failed to grow on similar 

 slants at pH6.4. 



A study of inheritance of coat colors in Jersey 

 cattle: J. J. Hooper, University of Kentucky. 

 Studies of inheritance of Jersey cattle coat colors 

 by the author show that white spots are recessive 

 to dominant solid color, and a white tongue and 

 tail-switch also are recessive. Colors of 1,145 

 calves were tabulated and compared with those of 

 their 2,290 sires and dams. Some buUs studied 

 seemed to be pure dominants, as their calves were 

 all solid in color, although as many as a hundred 

 were sired by each bull. It was found that 66 

 per cent, of Jersey cattle are solid in color and 

 have black tongue and switch, while 12 per cent, 

 are broken and have white tongue and switch; 

 3.6 per cent, are solid and have white tongue 

 and black switch, etc. 



Animal versus vegetable proteins in the ration 

 of laying hens: J. Holmes Mabtin, Kentucky Ex- 

 periment Station. An experiment, now in its third 

 year is described, in which 4 pens of 25 S. C. White 

 Leghorn pullets, each, are being fed a basic ration 

 of shipstuff and ground oats, supplemented by ani- 

 mal and vegetable protein carriers. The total egg 

 production per pullet for the pen receiving butter- 

 milk was 338 eggs; for that receiving tankage, 

 268; for that receiving tankage and cotton-seed 



