March 6, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



363 



there. Three kinds are of especial importance: 

 the bauxite deposits, fuller's earth, and highly 

 aluminous clays suitable for high refractories; all 

 are of better quality than is commonly found else- 

 where, and only require proper technical investi- 

 gation and control to insure their successful com- 

 mercial utilization. 

 Permeability Measurements as an Aid in Froxi- 



■nmte Organic Analysis: A. M. Muckenfuss. 



A general discussion of a method of measuring 

 the relative permeability of films (e. g., of paint 

 or oil) to vrater vapor, and of the usefulness of 

 such results as an aid in characterizing the film or 

 membrane. The apparatus and method have been 

 described previously.i As an example of the re- 

 sults obtainable, curves illustrating the effect of 

 the presence of menhaden, tung or corn oil in 

 films of linseed oil were shown. 

 Manufacture of Carton Dioxide and Its Incorpo- 

 ration into Water: W. P. Heath. 



For the production of carbon dioxide on a com- 

 mercial scale five methods are employed; most 

 usually it is done either by combustion of coke in 

 a special furnace, or by the action of acid on 

 marble or dolomitie limestone. Some anomalous 

 effects have been observed in the behavior of 

 aerated waters as ordinarily made — for instance, 

 that the pressure inside a freshly charged bottle 

 may increase considerably; these effects are at- 

 tributed to admixture of air with the carbon di- 

 oxide. 

 Walnut Stain in the Killing of Fish: G. P. 



Shingler. 



Green walnuts or oak bark thrown into water 

 will kill fish very quickly. Investigation of this 

 question showed that in either case both narcotin 

 and tannin are present in the solution and indi- 

 cated that the latter is the active poisonous agent. 

 Sanitary Water Analysis in Relation to Ptiblic 



Health: Eay C. Werner. 



A plea for the importance of thorough control of 

 water supplies, for the need of education in re- 

 gard to this matter, and for effective inspection of 

 filtration plants, together with regular tests — both 

 chemical and bacteriological — of the water as de- 

 livered to the consumer. 

 Cotton Seed Meal as a Possible Food for Man: 



C. A. Wells. 



A general discussion of the possible utilization 

 of cotton seed meal as a food for man, of its di- 

 gestibility and toxicity, and of its food value, eape- 



1 J. Ind. Eng. Chem., July, 1912. 



cially with regard to its cheapness as a source of 



protein. 



Studies of the Chemical Composition of Cotton 



Seed: C. L. Hare. 



A record of work at the Alabama Experiment 

 Station which was undertaken in order to ascertain 

 whether it would be possible by breeding cotton to 

 improve the seed in the direction of a larger oil 

 content and higher protein content, though of 

 course without prejudice to the amount and qual- 

 ity of the fiber; but up to the present little defi- 

 nite progress has been made. Apparently there is 

 no relation between the amount of lint and that 

 of oil or protein; but the amount of oil seems to 

 bear some relation to the weight of the seeds, to 

 the percentage of protein, and, possibly, to the 

 amount of inorganic constituents. 



Occurrence and Composition of Some Alabama 



Phosphates: B. B. Ross. 



Large quantities of phosphate-bearing strata 

 are found in Alabama, apparently closely associ- 

 ated with a thick bed of rotten limestone and 

 with green sands ; their formation is ascribed to 

 a leaching of this phosphatic limestone. This view 

 is confirmed by analyses of boulders, which showed 

 that the weathered layers contain considerably less 

 phosphate than the unweathered portion. Much 

 of this phosphate deposit could not be worked 

 economically at the present time, but it may be 

 capable of later development when other fields be- 

 come partly exhausted. The green sands contain 

 both potash and phosphate, and many possess 

 local value as a fertilizer. 

 Rubber Substitute from the Holly: Charles P. 



Fox. 



According to a recent French invention a rubber 

 substitute may be made from the holly. Similar 

 experiments with American holly showed that the 

 amount of extract is too small to be remunera- 

 tive; further, that addition of this extract to re- 

 claimed rubber delays vulcanization, increases the 

 elongation and permanent set, but does not increase 

 its tensile strength. 



Mexican Petroleums: Morris 0. Gottlieb. 

 Chemistry in Relation to the Development of the 



Fertilizer Industry: J. S. Brogdon. 

 An Incompatibility in Fertiliser Mining: T. E. 



KEiir. 



When basic slag is mixed with muriate of potash 

 or kainit a large proportion of the potash be- 

 comes insoluble in water. The insoluble compound 

 thus formed is very slightly soluble in neutral am- 



