Makch 3, 1911] 



SCIENCE 



346 



is a finishing ratlier than an initial process of 

 purification. 



Excrement of Ouayule-fed Animals: Chas. P. 



Fox. 



During time of drought goats feed upon the 

 tender branches of the guayule, Parthenum argen- 

 talum. The leaves of this plant do not contain 

 rubber, but there is a small amount present in 

 the twigs. The solid excrement of the guayule- 

 foraging animals does not contain a trace of 

 caoutchouc. 



Pingue (Colorado rubber weed) is regarded by 

 stockmen as poisonous to sheep. In this case 

 death is caused by clogging of the digestive organs 

 with undigested rubber. Goats are not afl'eeted 

 by guayule. 



Dissolved Oxygen in New York Harbor: Geo. A. 



SoPER and Payne B. Parsons. 



The results of an investigation of the sanitary 

 condition of New York harbor with respect to the 

 dissolved oxygen is reported. The analyses were 

 made immediately after the samples were taken. 



The results show that there was not much 

 difference between the amount of oxygen in the 

 water at the surface and at the bottom, except 

 that in badly polluted sections the surface samples 

 usually contained rather less oxygen than did the 

 deeper ones. This was contrary to expectation 

 and is probably accounted for on the ground that 

 the water was more impure at the top than at the 

 bottom, a supposition supported by the fact that 

 bacteria were most numerous at the top and by 

 the further fact that there was more sea water 

 near the bottom than near the top. In compara- 

 tively unpolluted sections the deep samples usu- 

 ally contained less oxygen than the surface 

 samples. 



When, the comparatively pure sea water from 

 the lower bay or Long Island Sound entered a 

 polluted section, the amount of oxygen in the 

 water of that section increased by the dilution. 



Composition of the Ash of Pickles: E. H. S. 



Bailey. 



On account of the use of alum in the hardening 

 of pickles the composition of the ashes of normal 

 pickles as they appear upon the market, and also 

 of pickles in which alum has been used, is of 

 importance. For comparison the analyses also of 

 green cucumbers as grown in different localities 

 has been made. A discussion of the importance 

 of the different constituents in the ash and the 

 significance of the presence of these substances 

 follows. 



DIVISION or PHYSICAL AND INORGANIC CHEMISTRY 



E. C. Franklin, chairman 



S. L. Bigelow, secretary 



Apparatus for Measuring Vapor Pressure: I. H. 



Derby, F. C. Gutsghe and F. Daniels. 



Two thrice-tubulated glass bulbs connected to- 

 gether by a short glass tube are filled with glass 

 pearls and one third filled with liquid. The bulbs 

 may be rotated horizontally on the tubes, deliv- 

 ering dry air and conducting away saturated air, 

 respectively, as an axis. To each end of this axis 

 a short rubber tube is connected and a short sec- 

 tion of glass tubing is placed in each of the free 

 ends of the rubber tubes. The rubber tubes are 

 bent down and the short glass tubes fitted loosely 

 over vertical tubes about which they may rotate 

 as axes. Mercury contained in a cup surrounding 

 the junction makes a gas-tight joint which yet 

 allows rotation of the wider tubes with the bulbs. 



Important features of the apparatus are: (1) 

 simplicity of construction and operation, (2) 

 rapid and complete saturation, (3) saturation at 

 barometric pressure, (4) adaptability to the de- 

 termination of vapor pressures of solutions and 

 vapor compositions, for which purposes it was 

 primarily designed. 

 The Nature of Mass: J. E. Mills. 



The usual idea of mass is made clear. It is 

 shown that the modern definition of mass as 

 expressed in the equation, imv^^im.a.s, is not 

 independent of, but is dependent upon, the attrac- 

 tion of gravitation. The attractive forces are 

 compared, and it is shown that there is consid- 

 erable reason for thinking that mass is a " gravi- 

 tational charge." Facts bearing upon this sug- 

 gestion are discussed. 

 Eecrystallization of Barium Sulphate: H. C. 



Cooper and T. S. Fuller, Syracuse University. 



By recrystallizing precipitated barium sulphate 

 from molten sodium sulphate at 1150° and dis- 

 solving out the sodium sulphate with water they 

 obtained crystals of barium sulphate as long as 

 5 mm. and as wide as 1 mm. These crystals cor- 

 respond to barite, the natural crystallized barium 

 sulphate. Equally good crystals of barium sul- 

 phate were obtained by recrystallization from 

 molten barium chloride 

 The Tendency of Chemical Energy Conversion: 



J. E. SlEBEL, Zymotechnie Institute, Chicago. 



In connection with the phase and mass law and 

 Chatelier's theorem, the principle of the maximal 

 work as a measure for affinity governs the tend- 

 ency of chemical energy conversions. 



