October 8, 1920] 



SCIENCE 



345 



the sprouts come from pieces of cro-wn and 

 from root ends whicb. are exposed to the light, 

 the sprout can be eliminated by careful prac- 

 tise in eradication. Cutting of the roots 

 would seem to be more effective than pulling : 

 ordinary care will prevent the leaving of 

 pieces of crown in grubbing, while only ex- 

 traordinary care and considerable work can 

 prevent the leaving of exposed root ends after 

 pulling. In the past it has been the custom 

 in this state to pull whenever possible and to 

 grub only as a last resort. It looks as though 

 the practise should be reversed. The initial 

 work may be a little more expensive, but it 

 will be cheaper in the end if it eliminates the 

 sprouts which make up the great bulk of the 

 growth on eradicated areas. 



According to the figures obtained the eradi- 

 cation crews attained an average efficiency of 

 almost 99 per cent, on old bushes and seed- 

 lings. If the sprouts can be eliminated the 

 reduced leaf siu-face should certainly give a 

 large measure of protection if not complete 

 exemption from the disease. 



E. G. Cheyi^y 



TJniversitt of Minnesota 



THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. 

 XI 



DrvrsioN OF agricultural and food chemistet 

 0. E. Coates, chairman 

 T. J. Bryan, secretary 



Louisiana molasses and syrup: C. E. Coates. 



The use of refined edible lactic acid in food prod- 

 ucts : George Defren. 



Preliminary feeding experiments with pigs to 

 determine the nutritive value of the amino acids 

 of the proteins of feeding stuffs: H. S. Grindley. 



Proteins of pecans: C. T. Dowell. 



Body fat of hogs fed on peanuts: Fred H. 

 Smith. 



An accwrate and rapid dry combustion method 

 for the simultaneous determination of soil organic 

 matter and organic carbon: J. W. Eeed. 



The actual carbon content of soil organic matter 

 and its relation to the use of conventional factor: 

 J. W. Eeed and E. H. Eidgell. 



Limitations of the white rat as an experimental 

 animal: W. D. Eichardson. 



Mammalian vs. Avian dietary experiments: W. 

 D. Eichardson. 



The ether insoluble hexabromides of pure and 

 adulterated liri-seed oils: Herbert Bailey and W. 

 D. Baldsiefen. Several modiiioations of the vari- 

 ous methods which have been proposed from time to 

 time for the determination of the hexabromide 

 value of oils have been studied. As a result of this 

 work a new method has been developed whioh, it 

 is believed, is as accurate as any of those previ- 

 ously proposed, and more simple than most of them. 

 The hexabromide values of a number of samples of 

 pure linseed, soya bean, and other oila, and mix- 

 tures of linseed with soya bean oils have ibeen de- 

 termined. 



The relative nutritive value of alfalfa as a sup- 

 plement to a diet of corn and tanlcage, and Tcaffir 

 and tankage: J. S. Hughes and B. F. Eerrin. 



Data on bacterial counts of beverages in Mis- 

 souri: Jay Barton. Excluding 23 samples from 3 

 different plants which were in an appalling condi- 

 tion, the average count for the remaining 203 

 samples is 71 per cubic centimeter. The three 

 worst plants were in towns of population 5,000 or 

 less. The average count of all samples from each 

 of three other plants was between 100 per cubic 

 centimeter and 150 per cubic centimeter; these 

 plants were located in cities of 40,000 or more. 

 B. coli were found in 8 samples collected from 5 

 plants. Only one of these plants was in a small 

 town; the other four were in cities of 75,000 or 

 more. B. coli were found in all of the products 

 from one company manufacturing imitation wine. 

 "Fancy" ginger ale (4 samples), grape juice (8 

 samples) and dealooholized beer (80 samples) run 

 uniformly good, about half of the samples con- 

 taining no organisms growing at 37° C, and not 

 more than 5 per cent, containing more than 10 

 per cubic centimeter. 



The occurrence of hydrocyanic acid in Sudan 

 grass and its effect on cattle: C. O. Swanson. 

 Samples of Sudan grass taken from a pasture 

 where cows were feeding showed that large amounts 

 of hydrocyanic acid was present, but no ill effects 

 were observed. Sudan grass which was reported 

 to have killed cattle did not apparently contain 

 more of the HON than the grass from the pasture 

 mentioned. Conditions which favor enzyme action 

 liberate hydrocyanic acid. Frosted Sudan grass 

 gave a stronger test than that not frozen, but the 

 HCN disappears very rapidly when the plant thaws 

 out and dries. Ensiloing favors the liberation of 



