42 
Cotton  Seed  Oil. 
( A.m.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1     January,  1896. 
that  yielded  by  the  control  shoot  No.  2,  we  find  an  increase  of 
asparagine  in  percentage  of  dry  matter,  due  probably  to  the  gradual 
conversion  of  other  amido-compounds  into  asparagine.1  The  fact 
that  in  the  control  case  No.  3,  where  the  cotyledons  had  not  been 
removed,  a  smaller  percentage  of  asparagine  was  found  than  in  No. 
2,  may  probably  be  due  to  the  galactans  and  other  carbohydrates 
gradually  becoming  soluble  and  getting  consumed  in  support  of 
respiration,  thus  protecting  proteids  as  well  as  amido-compounds 
from  further  changes,  and  retarding  the  production  of  asparagine. 
The  principal  conclusions  which  we  can  draw  from  the  results 
obtained  are : 
(1)  Glycerin  and  methyl  alcohol,  supplied  by  the  roots,  cannot 
only  hinder  the  production  of  asparagine  in  the  shoots,  but  are  also 
capable  of  diminishing  the  amount  already  formed. 
(2)  Glycerin  is  much  more  effective  than  methyl  alcohol.  It  also 
forms  sugar  in  the  cells.2 
(3)  Since  shoots  have  been  found  to  grow  better  in  solutions  of 
methyl  alcohol  and  glycerin  than  in  water,  and  also  to  show  the 
presence  of  dissolved  proteids  by  the  nitric  acid  test,  it  is  safe  to 
assume  an  increasing  protein  production  in  the  shoots  thus 
nourished ;  in  other  words,  methyl  alcohol,  as  well  as  glycerin,  can 
serve  for  the  regeneration  of  proteids  from  asparagine,  and  as  this 
process  can  go  on  in  perfect  darkness,  light  must  be  denied  to  have 
any  direct  action  in  supporting  it.3 
COTTON  SEED  OIL.  "" 
By  Arthur  R.  Lewis,  Ph.G. 
[Abstract  from  Thesis.] 
The  first  step  in  the  process  of  manufacturing  cotton  seed  oil  con- 
sists in  screening  the  seed  to  remove  dirt  and  other  foreign  sub- 
stances.   The  seed  are  then  "  relinted,"  as  it  is  called,  which  implies 
the  removal  of  any  adhering  cotton.    This  is  accomplished  by  pass- 
ing the  seed  through  a  machine  in  which  small  hooks  and  saws  are 
1  Compare  O.  Loew,  this  Bulletin,  Vol.  II,  No.  2. 
2  This  formation  of  sugar  is  in  accordance  with  the  observations  of  Laurent, 
Ar.  Meyer  and  Th.  Bokorny.  The  latter  author  has  also  observed  starch 
formation  from  methyl  alcohol  under  the  influence  of  daylight. 
3  It  is  however  indirectly  of  great  importance,  because  it  yields  the  necessary 
carbohydrates;  for,  the  more  sugar  there  is  present  in  a  cell,  the  quicker  will 
asparagine  be  transformed  into  proteids. 
