392 
Its quantity does not appear to have been deter- 
mined, but, pending further investigation, the plant 
should be regarded with suspicion. 
I. G. McBEtTH and R. C. WRIGHT: Certain Factors 
Limiting Nitrification. 
Two per cent. of glucose and two per cent. of 
starch disappeared from soil in less than seven 
days. Cellulose disappeared more slowly. The 
addition of glucose and starch caused a rapid dis- 
appearance of nitrate from eastern and western 
soils; with cellulose the reduction of nitrate was 
less rapid. 
Two per cent. of fresh horse manure caused 
only a partial disappearance of soil nitrate. After 
seven days in eastern soil and twenty-one days in 
western soil nitrification became active, causing an 
increase in nitrate. 
Nitrification took place rapidly in rotted manure; 
the addition of five per cent. of cellulose caused 
rapid denitrification. 
Nitrification in the soil is inhibited by carbon- 
ates, chlorides and sulphates, the former having 
the strongest effect and the latter the least effect. 
There are certain seasonal variations in the rate 
of nitrification in soil. 
J. B. RiecerR: Identification and Precise Estima- 
tion of Minute Amounts of Caffein in Physio- 
logical Products. 
M. O. SrarrorD: Preliminary Study of Iron Pep- 
tonates. 
V. K. CHEsnut: Estimation of Small Quantities 
of Pepsin. 
M. Louise Foster: A Study of the Decomposition 
Products of Milk Caused by B. lactis erythro- 
genes. 
Sterile milk inoculated at room temperature 
with B. lactis erythrogenes gave after a few days 
a faintly red solution, which on longer standing 
became blood red with coagulation of the milk. 
During standing—from two to six months—the 
red liquid became viscous, then fluid again with 
the formation of a white granular precipitate. 
The liquid was alkaline and gave the biochemical 
tests which showed that the organism had attacked 
the protein molecule as well as the carbohydrate. 
From 5 to 8.6 per cent. of the total native protein 
remained unattacked while the remainder was 
identified as proteoses and monamino acids. The 
pigment was extracted with amyl alcohol and pre- 
cipitated with acetone in clusters of red crystals. 
Further, colorless crystals with alkaloidal odor 
were obtained. An enzyme was isolated in the 
usual way. It was found to coagulate milk, giving 
SCIENCE 
[N.S. Vou. XXXV. No. 897 
a supernatant liquid acid to litmus. This acidity 
was found to be due to the presence of acetic and 
formic acids. No lactic acid was found. 
OuivER E. Ciosson: Local Anesthetics: Some 
Comparative Physiological Reactions. 
W. H. ScuuLtTz and ATHERTON SEIDELL: The 
Elimination of Thymol. I. Feces. 
A. B. Macattum: The Role of Surface Tension in 
the Distribution of Salts im Living Matter. 
(Illustrated with lantern slides.) 
J. EF. BREAZEALE and J. A. LECLERC: The Influ- 
ence of Reaction of Culture Mediwm on the 
Development of Roots of Wheat Seedlings. 
(Illustrated. ) 
G. A. MENGE: 
Choline Type. 
CHARLES B. BENNETT: Note on the Distribution of 
Inosinic Acid. 
Oscar RIDDLE: On the Chemistry of the White and 
Yellow Yolk of Ova. 
D. W. WILSON and P. B. Hawk: On the Relation 
between Water Ingestion and the Ammonia, 
Phosphate, Chloride and Acid Concentration of 
the Urine. 
LAWRENCE T. FAIRHALL and P. B. HawxK: The 
Fecal Amylase Output during Fasting and Water 
Drinking. 
D. W. Wiuson, P. E. Howe and P. B. HAwK: The 
Distribution of Urinary Nitrogen as Influenced 
by the Ingestion of Moderate and Copious 
Quantities of Distilled Water at Meal Time. 
CHARLES O. APPLEMAN: Metabolism in Dormancy 
of Tubers. 
A. D. EMMETT and CarL CHRISTOPHER: Effect of 
the Quantity of Protein Ingested on the Nutri- 
tion of Animals. V. On the Chemical Composi- 
tion of the Skeleton of Swine. 
The skeleton of pigs, selected from three lots— 
fed on low, medium and high protein planes— 
showed: (a) that the percentage of fat varied 
with the protein fed; (b) that the per cent. of 
protein was lowest in the low-fed lot and the same 
in the other two; (c) that the per cent. of ash 
and phosphorus seemed to be independent of the 
feed. With the tibia, femur and humerus bones, 
their weight, length, diameter, breaking strength 
and modulus of rupture seemed to suggest that the 
medium-fed pigs had the most compact and firm 
bones. The weight of the skeleton was greatest 
percentagely in the low-fed lot. 
A. D. Emmett and H. S. GrinDLEy: The Relatwe 
Nutritive Value of the Cuts of Beef. 
Comparing the protein and fat content of the 
Some New Compounds of the 
