98 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XL VI. No. 1178 



king to determine the value of forage crops for the 

 growth of farm animals, it became necessary to 

 make complete chemical analyses of young grow- 

 ing grasses and legumes. The first young forage 

 crop to study was that of alfalfa. The work in- 

 cludes the determination of the approximate com- 

 position, the forms of non-protein nitrogen, and 

 the forms of protein nitrogen in the grasses and 

 legumes. The results so far obtained with alfalfa 

 lead in general to the following conclusions: First, 

 that young alfalfa is very rich in crude protein; 

 second, that as alfalfa grows older, there is a 

 marked increase in the percentage of nitrogen free 

 extract and crude fiber and a marked decrease in 

 the crude protein of the water-free substance of 

 the plant; third, it seems probable that the 

 marked eiSeieney of young growing pasture grasses 

 is due (a) to their high content of crude protein 

 (6) to their high content of mineral constituents 

 and (c) to the low content of crude fiber. 



Physical and chemical constants of some Ameri- 

 can tomato seed oils: H. S. Bailey and L. B. BtlR- 

 NETT. A number of tomato-seed oils have been 

 made from seeds collected at various tomato pulp 

 factories in Indiana and Maryland and the phys- 

 ical and chemical constants of these oils and their 

 fatty acids determined. One point of particular 

 interest in connection with the tomato-seed oil is 

 that it gives a positive test for peanut oil by the 

 Eenard test. If suflicient care, however, is taken 

 in determining the melting point of the final crys- 

 talline acids it will be found that they are higher 

 than 72° C, which is usually accepted as the 

 proper temperature for arachidie acid obtained in 

 this method. The analysis of the methyl esters of 

 tomato seed oil and of the saturated fatty acids ob- 

 tained by the lead-salt-ether method from tomato- 

 seed oil have been made. 



A laboratory method for the hydrogenation of 

 oils: L. B. BuBNETT and H. S. Bailey. A method 

 of preparing a nickel catalyzer, suitable for the 

 hardening of vegetable oils on a small scale in the 

 laboratory, was described. 



Electrically heated melting point apparatus: H. 

 S. Bailey. A form of melting point apparatus 

 heated by the passage of an electric current 

 through a bath of dilute sulphuric acid, was de- 

 scribed. The resistance of the solution to the 

 passage of the current produces the heat, the in- 

 crease in which may be regulated by adjustment 

 of the distance between the poles. 



The alTcaloids of Bocconia frutescens: Emerson 

 E. Miller. In 1895 Battandier examined the bark 

 of Bocconia frutescens and reported the presence 



of fumarine (protopine), boceonine, chelerythrine 

 and traces of an alkaloid giving reactions similar 

 to those of oheUodonine. Boceonine, according to 

 Schlotterbeck, is identical with /3-homochelidonine. 

 The writer separated from the leaves of the above- 

 named plant protopine, chelerythrine, /3-homoeheli- 

 donine and 7-homochelidonine. The indications 

 are that the bark contains sanguinarine in addi- 

 tion to the alkaloids reported by Battandier. 



On the presence of free hydrocyanic acid in cas- 

 sava: Emerson R. Miller. Some experiments 

 carried out by the writer while connected with the 

 Cuban Experiment Station show that most of the 

 hydrocyanic acid contained in the roots of Manihot 

 utilissima is present, combined as a cyanogenetic 

 glueoside. 



The effect of feeding acids upon the growth of 

 swine: A. E. Lamb and John M. Ewaed. Al- 

 though the power to use ammonia produced in the 

 body tissues for the neutralization of acids is 

 known to be possessed by animals, the practical 

 question of the effect of acid-feeding upon growth 

 has not been investigated. Inasmuch as silage 

 contains organic acids in considerable amount and 

 the mineral content of many feeding-stuffs is 

 strongly acid in character, this question is impor- 

 tant. Eight pigs, divided into 4 lots, were grown 

 successfully from 85 to 260 pounds weight in seven 

 months upon a normal ration to which consider- 

 able amounts of lactic, acetic and sulphuric acids 

 were added. 



Can swelling of the colloids furnish a iasis for 

 the explanation of edema? A. D. Hirschfelder. 

 Edema due to mustard oil in the conjunctival tis- 

 sues, the effects of immersing the lid in blood 

 serum, hydrochloric acid, etc., effects of local and 

 general changes in blood pressure upon the de- 

 velopment of edema, were discussed. 



The following papers were read by title: 

 The proteins of the peanut, Arachis hypogea. II. 



The distriiution of the hasio nitrogen in the 



globulms arachin and conarchin. 

 Tissue transplantation as a diocliemical method: 



Leo Loeb. 

 The alkaloids of Bocconia frutescens: Emerson E. 



Miller. 

 Microchemical studies on the mosaic disease of to- 



tacco: G. W. Freiberg. 

 Some peculiarities of plant decoctions as nutrient 



media for fungi: E. M. Duggar. 

 Isolation of parahydroxy-tenzoio acid from soil: 



E. H. Walters. 



{To he continued) 



