352 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LI. No. 1318 



have higher respiration at 20 c.c. C, but this is not 

 the case at 10° C. and 30° C. The above observa- 

 tions on tomato, together with confirmatory data 

 on turnips and radishes, emphasize the importance 

 of determining the proper C: N ratios for all our 

 economic plants. 



Vanillyl acyl amides: E. K. Nelson. (By title.) 

 Following the demonstration of the structure of 

 capsaicin, the pungent principle of red pepper, 

 which proved to be a condensation compound of 

 vanillyl amine (4-hydroxy-3-methoxy benzylamine) 

 with a decenoic acid, a number of analogous de- 

 rivatives of vanillyl amine were prepared by the 

 interaction of that substance with acyl chlorides. 

 Derivatives of the following acids were obtained: 

 acetic, propionic, butyric, isobutyric, n-hexoic, 

 n-heptoic, »-ootoic, n-nonoic, n-decoic, n-undeeoic, 

 n-dodeeoie, orotonoic, undecenoic and benzoic. As 

 the molecular weights of these substances rise, the 

 solubility in water decreases, while that in ether 

 increases. Pungency, first noticeable in the pro- 

 pionyl compound, increases to a maximum in 

 vanillyl octoyl amide, which is almost as pungent 

 as capsaicin. One eight-thousandth of a milligram 

 of this substance causes a distinct burning on the 

 tongue. The crotonyl compound is slightly, the 

 undecenoyl compound extremely, and vanillyl ben- 

 zoyl amide very slightly pungent. 



On a phenol produced iy growing aspergillus 

 tamari: J. F. Brewster. (By title.) 



Climatic control in relation to plant growth: W. 

 E. TOTTINGHAM. (By title.) Consideration of the 

 profound effects of climate upon the growth and 

 composition of plants, together with the difficul- 

 ties of interpretation of these effects imposed by 

 fluctuations of climatic factors, makes evident the 

 desirability of experimental control over the latter. 

 A fair degree of success has been realized in the 

 installation of a small plant culture chamber for 

 climatic control within a greenhouse. The atmos- 

 phere is conditioned for this chamber by forcing 

 it through a humidifying chamber moistened by 

 wet towelling, the latter being wet by water of 

 controlled temperature. Before entering the cul- 

 ture chamber the air is heated somewhat, to bring 

 both its temperature and degree of saturation with 

 water vapor to desired values. The conditioned air 

 enters the culture chamber beneath the flanged sur- 

 face of a rotating table, which distributes it about 

 the chamber, and escapes through orifices at the 

 top. The rotating table also serves to equalize 

 climatic differences for the different plant cultures 

 carried by it. With the limited capacity of such 



an apparatus, it is necessary to maintain a consid- 

 erable degree of control over illumination, tem- 

 perature and humidity of the surrounding green- 

 house, in order to realize a reasonable degree of 

 control over climatic conditions within the culture 

 chamber. 



Studies in the translocation of nitrogenous and 

 carbohydrate material into the wheat Tcernel: G. A. 

 Olson. (By title.) 



Physical and chemical studies of wheat gluten: 

 G. A. Olson and Charles H. Hunt. (By title.) 

 Charles L. Parsons, 



Secretary 



THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR 



THE ADVANCEMENT OF 



SCIENCE 



SECTION B— PHYSICS 



Section B was in session, in affiliation with the 

 American Physical Society, at St. Louis, Decem- 

 ber 30, and 31, 1919, and January 1, 1920. The 

 program of papers presented through the American 

 Physical Society are elsewhere announced and ab- 

 stracted by the society. On the afternoon of De- 

 cember 31 occurred the annual session of Section 

 B, the retiring vice-presidential address of Dr. Gor- 

 don F. Hull and a Symposium on "Phenomena in 

 the Ultra-violet Speetrtim, including X-rays," the 

 papers of which will be abstracted elsewhere in 

 Science under the above title. Dr. Hull's address 

 on the subject, "Some Aspects of Physics in War 

 and Peace," was prinited in the issue of Science 

 for February 5. 



The Sectional Committee nominated as chair- 

 man of the Section, Professor J. C. McLennan, of 

 the University of Toronto. 



G. W. Stewakt, 



Seoreta/i'y 



SCIENCE 



A Weekly Journal devoted to the Advancement of 

 Science, publishing the official notices and pro- 

 ceedings of the American Association for 

 the Advancement of Science 



Published every Friday by 



THE SCIENCE PRESS 



LANCASTER, FA. GARRISON, N. Y. 



NEW YORK, N. Y. 



Entered in the post-office «t Lancaster, Pa., aa second clan MUttcK' 



