Mabch 3, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



339 



" The Efficiency of the College Graduate in the 

 Chemical Industry," Chas. F. Burgess. 



BIOLOGICAI, SECTION 



Carl L. Alsberg, chairman 



I. K. Phelps, secretary 



The Lecithin, Content of Milk under Pathologic 



Conditions: L. W. Fetzee. 



The results show that milli obtained from ani- 

 mals suffering from mastitis contains less lecithin 

 tnan the milk obtained from healthy animals. 

 It was further noted that where a diminution in 

 the lecithin content took place there was a cor- 

 responding decrease in the fat content. 

 The Antitoxic Action of Certain 'Nutrient and 



Non-nutrient Mineral Bases with Respect to 



Plants: M. M. McCool. 



Extensive data were presented with reference 

 to antagonistic action of different bases with 

 respect to plants. In the experiments reported 

 the Canada field pea has been made the indicator, 

 and a complete comparative study has been made 

 •of the growth of tops and roots in solutions of 

 the different bases as follows : ( 1 ) solutions con- 

 taining single bases in concentrations varying 

 from those which are non-toxic to those which 

 practically prohibit growth; (2) solutions con- 

 taining two bases at concentrations including 

 those toxic when employed alone. 



It was found that mutual antagonism occurs 

 in the following combinations: 



Ca vs. Ba Ca vs. NH3 



Ca vs. Fe Ca vs. Sr 



Ca vs. K K vs. Sr 



Ca vs. Mg Na vs. K 



Ca vs. Mn Na vs. Mn 



Ca vs. Na Na vs. Sr 



To express the above in terms of single antag- 

 onism, it is obvious that the second term in each 

 of these systems could be placed first, but the 

 arrangement given indicates that the base first 

 given is the most important term in the combina- 

 tion with respect to antagonistic action. 



The toxicity of the various bases in distilled 

 water, full nutrient solutions, and soil cultures 

 have been determined likewise as additional con- 

 trols upon the preceding results. The tests of all 

 -of these bases in dilute nutrient solutions of any 

 type, or in soil or sand cultures, diminishes or 

 prevents the injurious action of the concentra- 

 tions toxic in water. 



The Oxidative and Catalytic Powers of Soils and 

 Subsoils: M. X. Sullivan and F. R. Reid. 



Surface soils have the power to oxidize easily 

 oxidizable substances such as aloin, guaiac, pyro- 

 gallol, hydroquinone, etc. When ten grains of 

 soil are shaken with 50 c.c. of a 0.1 per cent, 

 water solution of aloin, the yellow color of the 

 aloin is changed to cherry red. On allowing the 

 soil to settle, the solution can be filtered and the 

 depth of color determined in the colorimeter. 

 Broadly speaking, the oxidative power of the soil 

 is symptomatic of a good soil condition, since 

 soils of good productivity have in general good 

 oxidizing power, while soils of poor productivity 

 have, as a rule, poor oxidizing power. Subsoils 

 have little, if any, action on aloin, though occa- 

 sionally the oxidizing power of the subsoil may be 

 as great or greater than the corresponding surface 

 soil. The catalytic power of the soil or los 

 capacity for decomposing hydrogen peroxide with 

 the liberation of free oxygen is roughly parallel 

 to the oxidative power in that soils known to be 

 of good productivity have strong catalytic power, 

 while poor soils have weak catalytic power. As 

 compared with surface soils, the subsoils have, 

 for the most part, a weak catalytic power. The 

 oxidative and catalytic powers of the soil are 

 analogous to these powers in plants and animals 

 and are modified in much the same way. 

 Enzymatic Activities in Soils : OswAlD Scheeinee 



and M. X. Sullivan. 



Within the bodies of microorganisms in plant 

 roots and plant dfibris, in worms and animalcules, 

 enzymes of various kinds must exist. Evidence 

 of various enzymotie activities, proteolytic, amyl- 

 olytic, inverting, cytolytic, lipolytic, etc., may be 

 seen in many soils. Starches, sugars, cellulose, 

 fat and protein are speedily changed or disap- 

 pear, and in many cases, especially of proteins, 

 some of the products of digestion may be found 

 in the soil. The oxidizing and catalytic activities 

 of the soil, comparable to the same activities in 

 plants and animals where it has been attributed 

 to enzymes, is especially noticeable and easy of 

 demonstration. As yet no satisfactory means have 

 been obtained of extracting enzymes from soil to 

 any great extent, though in soils recently cropped 

 there is some slight evidence of the presence of 

 enzyme-like substances in the glycerine extract 

 of the soil. 

 Soil Organic Matter as Material for Biochemical 



Investigation: Oswald Schbeinee and Edmund 



C. Shoeey. 



Attention is called to the complexity of the 

 organic matter of soils and the fruitful field of 

 research that it offers for biochemical investiga- 



