Januaby 24, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



147 



dollar, and are one of the most useful acquisi- 

 tions we have lately had made to laboratory- 

 apparatus. 



'Starch as an Adulterant or Drier in But- 

 ter, and a Study of Glucose in Butters' : G. E. 

 Patrick and D. Stuart. 



1. The paper describes first a' canned butter 

 which was found to contain, besides about 15 

 per cent, of glucose, 3.15 per cent, of starch, 

 either potato starch or a variety closely re- 

 sembling it. The starch was probably added 

 as a drier; it is said to be sometimes used 

 for this purpose in remanufactured butter. 

 The complete analysis of this butter was : 

 water, 27.19; fat, 40.36; ash, 12.65 (all NaCl 

 except .65 impurities) ; casein (N x 6.25), 0.86; 

 starch, 3.15; other organic matter, 15.8. 

 Assuming .3 per cent, of lactose, there remains 

 15.5 per cent, of organic matter which was 

 set down as glucose, since no other organic 

 substance was identified. The aqueous ex- 

 tracts, of 100 cc. volume, from 26.05 grams of 

 the butter, that is, a 'normal sugar solution,' 

 polarized 26.2 degrees on the cane sugar scale 

 (Soleil-Ventzke). 



2. With four glucosed butters studied, 

 whole 'normal sugar solutions' polarized re- 

 spectively 7.0, 11.0, 18.5 and 26.2 degrees, and 

 whose percentages of organic matter desig- 

 nated glucose (as in the case above) were re- 

 spectively 7.0, 7.9, 10.6 and 15.5 per cent., 

 the rotary and copper reducing powers of the 

 aqueous extracts being referred to these 

 amounts of dry matter, the copper reducing 

 power was in every case (possibly excepting 

 one) too low to correspond to the rotary 

 power, according to Eolfe and Defren, if the 

 entire matter were pure glucose. Sucrose was 

 suspected and inversion was tried by means 

 of saccharine, following the method of Tol- 

 man. In only two of the four cases was the 

 rotation appreciably lowered. In these two — 

 and these two butters were canned by the 

 same firm — there was a marked reduction of 

 rotation, indicating (of course not proving) 

 the presence of cane sugar to the amount of 

 about 1.3 per cent, on the butters. The in- 

 crease of copper' reduction, by inversion, was 

 not determined at the time; but several weeks 

 later, the small residual samples having been 



meantime at laboratory temperature, one was 

 tested, and the increased copper reduction 

 after inversion was found to correspond to 

 .83 per cent, sucrose in the butter, while the 

 decrease of rotation by inversion at this time 

 corresponded to only 1.0 per cent, sucrose. As 

 glucose is added to butters in the form of a 

 sirup, and as there are upon the market glu- 

 cose sirups containing admixture of cane 

 sugar, the presence of the latter in a glucosed 

 butter need not be so very surprising. 

 Aqueous extracts, 'normal sugar solutions' of 

 49 non-glucosed butters polarized from to 

 .5 degree, averaging .22 degree. Five ladled 

 butters out of 15 examined polarized from 

 3.4 to 5.7 degrees, showing admixture of 

 glucose. Glucose is frequently used by ladlers 

 to improve the appearance of their product. 



L. S. MUNSON, 



Secretary. 



anthropological society of WASHINGTON". 



The 324th meeting was held December 7. 

 Mr. Paul Beckwith presented a type series of 

 Philippine swords, from the National Mu- 

 seum, with description of their use, and stated 

 the rank and people to which each sword be- 

 longs. 



President W. H. Holmes presented some rare 

 examples of ancient Mexican art, lately ac- 

 quired by the National Museum. These con- 

 sisted of pottery and stone carvings, showing 

 exceptional artistic feeling in their treatment. 



The paper of the evening was on 'Le Culte 

 des Pierres en Prance,' by M. Paul Sebillot, 

 translated and read by Mr. Jos. D. McGuire. 

 Some months ago an arrangement was made 

 between the Societe d' Anthropologie de Paris 

 and the Anthropological Society of Washing- 

 ton to exchange communications for one meet- 

 ing during the winter. M. SebiUot's paper is 

 the result of this intersociety comity. M. 

 Sebillot has made extensive historical and 

 observational researches on the great body of 

 folk-lore and customs connected with the 

 megalithic monuments of France, which really 

 constituted a cult of stones coming down from 

 ancient times. In general the customs are 

 divinitory and may be grouped under the head 

 of lithomancy, the idea being to look into the 



