476 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXII. No. 823 



catsup per day. The results showed no increase 

 in hippurie acid excretion during the period when 

 the tomato catsup was taken. The theory that 

 the essential oils of spices are oxidized to benzoic 

 acid is not sustained. 



A careful study of the Bunge-Schmiedeberg 

 method of determining hippurie acid showed the 

 method as modified by Dakin to give accurate 

 results. 

 The Reactions of Lime and Gypsum on some 



Oregon Soils: C. E. Bradley. 



The soils of western Oregon respond very 

 readily to applications of gypsum. Tests on a 

 number of these soils with lime and gypsum under 

 diflferent conditions indicate that gypsum here 

 acts as an indirect potash fertilizer, while lime 

 does not. 

 Enmronmental Studies on Wheat: H. W. Wilet 



and J. A. LkCleec. 



This paper contained a review of past work 

 carried on in the bureau of chemistry on the 

 influence of environment on the composition of 

 wheat. The results showed that there was a 

 larger difference in per cent, protein and weight 

 per thousand grains between the same variety of 

 wheat grown in different localities than between 

 different varieties grown in the same locality. 

 The average difference in nitrogen content between 

 different varieties grown in the same locality is 

 0.69 per cent., the variation being from .11 to 

 1.25 per cent. This is based on 514 samples. The 

 average difference in nitrogen content in the same 

 variety grown in different localities is 1.23 per 

 cent., the variation being .47 to 2.17 per cent. 

 This is based on 449 samples representing forty 

 varieties. There is no marked difference in ash, 

 fat, fiber, pentosans or sugar between high and 

 low nitrogen wheats. The length of the whole 

 growing period influenced the nitrogen content, a 

 long period of growth producing low nitrogen 

 wheat, and vice versa. 

 Tlie Translocation of Plant Food and Elahoration 



of Plant Material during Germination of 



Wheat: J. A. LeClerc and J. F. Breazeale. 



At two days old when the germ of 100 seeds 

 weighed about .2 grams, i. e., about 6 per cent, of 

 the weight of the seed, the plantlet contained 

 42 per cent, of the total potash, 23 per cent, of 

 the nitrogen, and 17 per cent, of the phosphoric 

 acid. The formation of fat, fiber, sugars and 

 pentosans was studied throughout the growing 

 period. The fat in the seed decreased 30 per 

 cent, in four days, after which there was no 



further decrease, thus showing that there had 

 been no absorption of non-embryo fat of the seed 

 into the plant. A small amount of fat was elab- 

 orated by the plant. 



After fifteen days the residual seed contained 

 about the same quantity of fiber as was originally 

 present in the seed. The plantlet, however, formed 

 six to seven times as much fiber as was present 

 in the seed. 



The residual seed gradually loses pentosans 

 until less than half the original amount is present 

 at the end of fifteen days. In the plant the 

 amount of pentosans increased up to the tenth 

 day, then decreased slightly. Cane sugar gradu- 

 ally decreased in the residual part of the seed 

 until none was present at the end of the fifteenth 

 day. In the plantlet, invert sugar increased up 

 to the ninth day, when it contained three times 

 more than the amount of total sugar of the orig- 

 inal seed, and then decreased to the fifteenth day. 

 The cane sugar of the plant increased to the 

 twelfth day and then decreased. The decrease of 

 sugars is probably due to their conversion into 

 pentosans, part of which are later converted into 

 liber. 



Time Factors in the Determination of 'Nitrogen 

 and other Observations on the Kjeldahl Method: 



P. L. HiBBABD. 



Organic substances such as blood or bone have 

 their nitrogen completely converted into ammonia 

 by boiling three hours with 25 c.c. of sulphuric 

 acid, 10 grams potassium sulphate and i gram 

 copper sulphate; in most cases. 



In distillation of this digestion practically all 

 the ammonia is obtained in less than fifteen min- 

 utes. 



Bumping of the digestion is prevented by addi- 

 tion of one to two grams ferrous sulphate. 



Using the Ulsch-Street method, only a few min- 

 utes are required to change the nitrogen of 

 nitrates to ammonia. 



During the acid digestion loss of ammonia 

 occurs when a lai'ge portion of the acid has been 

 driven out by too much or too long-continued 

 heat, but not because the flask is heated by the 

 bare flame above the level of the acid. 



Composition and Digestibility of the Fat of Goic- 

 pea Hay: G. S. Fraps and J. B. Rather. 

 The ether extract of cowpea hay has a digesti- 

 bility with sheep of approximately 30 per cent. 

 It contains over 50 per cent, unsaponifiable mat- 

 ter. The fatty acids have a digestibility of ap- 

 proximately 90 per cent. The unsaponifiable part 



