June 26, 1914] 



SCIENCE 



953 



fresh German lobster contains about 1.84 per cent, 

 of oil. 



An analysis of this particular sample gave the 

 following results: 



Specific gravity, 25°/25° 0.9255 



Eefractive index, 25° 1.4765 



Iodine number 145 



Saponification number 175 



Soluble acids (as butyric) 0.65^ 



Saturated (solid) acids 10.5;^ 



Unsaturated (liquid) acids 80,^ 



Insoluble acids 88,< 



Acetyl value 16.9 



Iodine number of unsaturated acids 160 



Iodine number of saturated acids 1.5 



Melting point (capillary tube) of solid 



acids 51.6° C. 



Molecular wt. of unsaturated acids 315 



Saponification number of acetylated fat . .184 



Tomato-Seed Oil: H. S. Bailey and L. B. Bur- 

 nett. 



The rapidly increasing production of tomato 

 pulp and catsup in the United States, and the fact 

 that oil is already being made on a commercial 

 scale from the waste tomato seeds in Italy, 

 make an investigation of the composition of this 

 oil very desirable. Last season a few pounds of 

 tomato seeds were obtained, and pressed in an 

 expeller of the continuous action type. The oil 

 thus obtained refined and bleached easily and was 

 apparently a satisfactory food oil. 



The Digestibility of Corn Consumed iy Swine': 



S. C. Guernsey. 



Digestion trials to compare the digestibility of 

 maize in the natural state, with that of the shelled 

 and ground grain, the latter two forms being fed 

 both dry and soaked, were conducted in 1909 with 

 10 heavy-weight swine, weighing about 200 

 pounds, in 1910 with the same number of light- 

 weight animals weighing about 70 pounds, and in 

 1911 with 10 light-weight and ten heavy-weight 

 hogs. Each year the different forms of maize were 

 fed through four ten-day periods to the swine, 

 which were kept in cages, five animals being fed 

 at a time, each receiving one form of corn through 

 a ten-day period. The apparent digestibility was 

 determined by weighing and analyzing the feed 

 and corresponding feces, the latter being col- 

 lected in rubber bags attached to the animals by 

 a harness. A charcoal marker was fed at the be- 

 ginning and end of each period for identification 

 of the corresponding feces. The light-weight 

 swine digested whole-grain on cob, and shelled 



grain more thoroughly than did the heavy-weights, 

 while the latter utilized the soaked ground grain 

 to better advantage than did the former. With 

 the light swine, the whole grain on cob has the 

 highest digestion coefBeient, then dry shelled, dry 

 groimd, soaked shelled and soaked ground grain, 

 while with the heavy-weights the soaked ground 

 grain has the highest digestibility, then dry 

 ground, dry shelled, ear and soaked shelled corn. 

 A remarkable correlation between digestibility 

 and time required for digestion was found in the 

 series of experiments conducted in 1909-10, brought 

 to notice by observations on the interval between 

 the feeding of bone-black and its appearance in 

 the feces. In a general way, the higher the coeiS- 

 cieut of digestion, the longer the time required for 

 the feces to pass through the alimentary canal, and 

 vice versa, which holds true with both classes of 

 swine as a whole or as separate classes. 



Chemical Changes Occurring During the Period of 



Silage Formation: Eay E. Neidig. 



The investigation included studies of the prin- 

 cipal chemical changes which occurred in three 

 silos built of different materials. The period cov- 

 ered was the first three weeks after filling the silos. 

 The rate of increase or decrease of the following 

 substances was determined daily: volatile acids, 

 non-volatile acids, soluble carbohydrates and al- 

 cohol. Daily analyses were made of the gases of 

 the silos and temperatures were taken by means 

 of electric thermometers buried in different parts 

 of the silos. The results show that sucrose is 

 hydrolyzed to invert sugar in the early stages of 

 fermentation and then a very gradual loss in car- 

 bohydrates is noted. The soluble carbohydrates do 

 not disappear entirely, however, and those re- 

 maining were identified as invert sugar. Along 

 with the gradual diminishing of the carbohydrates 

 there is a uniform rise in acidity j both volatile 

 and non-volatile acids are formed, the latter pre- 

 dominating. The volatile acid consists mainly of 

 acetic acid together with some propionic acid; the 

 non-volatile acid is the inactive or racemic va- 

 riety of lactic acid. Alcohol was found in small 

 quantities in all silos in slightly varying amounts. 

 The gas analysis showed a rapid production of 

 carbon-dioxide after filling the silos, reaching the 

 maximum during the first few days and then 

 gradually decreasing. Oxygen, on the other hand, 

 was found only in traces after the first three days. 

 The temperatures were quite uniform in all silos, 

 the maximum temperature observed being 32.8° 

 Centigrade. 



