Agricultural Chemists in
Washington
By N . A . P A R K I N S O N , Assistent to the Editor OUR
h u n d r e d a n d twenty-five agrichemists, representing federal, state, and municipal organizations and industry, gathered a t t h e S t a t l e r Hotel, Washington, D . C., October 25 a n d 26, to a t t e n d t h e 59th a n n u a l m e e t i n g of the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists. G. G. F r a r y , S t a t e Chemical Laboratory, Vermillion, S. D a k . , president of the association, presided. For some time t h e association h a s been actively engaged in work on t h e revision of t h e Sixth Edition of t h e Book of Methods, and it was for t h e purpose of approving new methods a n d passing on changes in existing m e t h o d s for t h e analy- . sis of foods, drugs, beverages, fertilizers, insecticides, cosmetics, a n d other subjects covered b y the work of t h e official chemists that t h e meeting was called. D r . F r a r y delivered his Presidential Address—The C o n t r i b u t i o n of C h e m i s t r y to an Industry—before t h e general session, Wednesday afternoon. H i s talk had to do especially with t h e d a i r y indust r y . He traced its history, going b a c k to t h e early b e g i n n i n g — " c a t t l e c a m e to this C o n t i n e n t with the earliest colonists when they were landed a t J a m e s t o w n in 1611 and a t P l y m o u t h in 1624", t o t h e present time, showing how we a r e now afforded " B e t t e r Living T h r o u g h Chemistry". D r . F r a r y said:
F cultural
Chemistry h a s been t h e foundation and t h e skeletal s u p p o r t of t h e whole s t r u c t u r e of this v a s t industry. T h i s i n d u s t r y which last year produced more t h a n 118 billion pounds of milk in this c o u n t r y a n d from this source material m a d e one billion 673 million p o u n d s of c r e a m e r y b u t t e r , almost a billion pounds of cheese, 934 million pounds of condensed m i l k , sweetened and unsweetened, more t h a n 3 billion pounds of evaporated whole m i l k , more t h a n half a billion pounds of d r i e d skim milk and nearly a s m a n y gallons of ice cream; a n d , which in addition, produced large q u a n t i ties of other i m p o r t a n t p r o d u c t s a n d b y products such as lactose, c o n c e n t r a t e s of several milk-borne v i t a m i n s a n d casein, including several million p o u n d s of s y n thetic fiber m a n u f a c t u r e d from t h i s principal milk protein—this i n d u s t r y surely owes its very life t o chemistry. At t h e general m e e t i n g , D r . F r a r y i n t r o duced H . A. Houston, w h o touched u p o n t h e origin a n d progress of t h e association. H e called a t t e n t i o n t o t h e fact t h a t t h i s meeting marked t h e 100th anniversary of t h e b i r t h of H a r v e y W a s h i n g t o n Wiley, one of t h e founders of t h e A O A C , i t s secretary for years, a n d u n t i l his d e a t h , i t s h o n o r a r y president; t h e 60th a n n i v e r s a r y of t h e organization of t h e association; a n d the 50th: anniversary-of Dr. Houston's election to t h e p r e s i d e n c y of t h e association; ' " . ,.. -; _: " '·. •' -;' ' - -ixr'y' ',-yf- " • T h e sessions ; were.'-/devoted ^entirely t o
1914
business, a n d sessions customarily occupj'ing t h r e e d a y s were crowded into t w o d a y s . T h r e e h u n d r e d a n d nine referee a n d comm i t t e e reports were presented a n d numerous committee meetings a n d group conferences were held, some of them e x t e n d i n g well i n t o t h e n i g h t i n order to expedite t h e work of t h e d a y t i m e sessions. T h e association voted t o add t w o new c h a p t e r s t o t h e Book of M e t h o d s : (1) E x t r a n e o u s M a t e r i a l p n Foods a n d D r u g s , a n d (2) Cosmetics. T h e book is now being whipped i n t o final shape for publication. I t is confidently expected i t will g o to press early in t h e new year. M u c h a t t e n t i o n centered on t h e subject of filth in food. T h i s is directly in line with t h e campaign being waged b y t h e Federal F o o d a n d D r u g Commission for higher s t a n d a r d s of sanitation i n food a n d d r u g m a n u f a c t u r e , a n d reports o n this s u b ject created unusual interest. T h e s a m e applies to those on D D T and Vitamins. T h e association approved a proposal t h a t bags of fertilizer nitrates carry a w a r n i n g label t h a t such fertilizers a r e "injurious t o livestock". I t also approved, "official, first a c t i o n " , t h a t g u a r a n t e e d fertilizer component, with t h e exception of potash (KaO) a n d phosphoric acid (P2O5), "shall be stated in t e r m s of elements". Official final action was given t o t h e following definitions and interpretations of fertilizer ingredients: Magnesia (magnesium oxide) is a p r o d u c t consisting chiefly of the oxide of magnesium. I t s grade shall be stipulated, for example—magnesia, 7 5 % M g O . Ammonium nitrate is a p r o d u c t composed chiefly of nitrate of ammonia. I t s nitrogen c o n t e n t shall b e stipulated, for example—ammonium nitrate, 3 0 % N . Officers elected for the ensuing year a r e : president, W. H . Ross, Fertilizer Division, Bureau of P l a n t I n d u s t r y , Bcltsville, M d . ; vice president, J. O. Clarke, Food a n d D r u g Administration, Chicago; secretarytreasurer, H e n r y A. Lepper, Food a n d D r u g Administration, Washington, D . C. Elected t o membership on t h e executive committee were: G. G. Frary, Vermillion, S. D a k . , retiring president; G. H . Marsh, Montgomery, Ala.; W . A. Queen, Washington; and L. S. Walker, Burlington, Vt. W e regret t h a t it is impossible t o include the list of referees who next y e a r will h a v e charge of t h e work in the (various fields coyerecl/by t h e association, b u t so m a n y of t h e former referees are i n the :Service or so tied up with war-work, that considerable time will necessarily elapse before these assignments can b è ihàdë arid accepted. Eighty-five members and guesté-of t h é association^'connected^ jwitK/ s t a t e / a n d
CHEMICAL
g o v e r n m e n t work in fertilizer control a n d fertilizer research were e n t e r t a i n e d b y t h e Chemical Control C o m m i t t e e of t h e N a t i o n a l Fertilizer C o m m i t t e e a t d i n n e r a t the Mayflower Hotel, W a s h i n g t o n , O c t o ber 25. Charles J. B r a n d , executive secretary and treasurer of t h e N F A , a c t e d as toastmaster. Brief s u m m a r i e s of fertilizer prospects as to c o n s u m p t i o n , materials, a n d prices were given b y P . H . Groggins, W F A ; D a l e C. Kiefîer, W P B ; and Cedric G. G r a n , ΟΡΑ, a s r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e several \var agencies charged w i t h responsibilities on these subjects in t h e w a r emergency. C h a i r m a n B u t t of t h e c o m m i t t e e i n t r o duced all t h e m e m b e r s w h o were present. D r . F r a r y , president of t h e A O A C , w a s a guest of honor, a n d m a d e a short t a l k a t t h e invitation of M r . B r a n d .
General Motors Spectrographs Conferences A series of spectrograph^ conferences has been initiated by the General Motors Corp., under the chairmanship of G. M. Rassweiler, Research Laboratories Division, to develop further the applications of these analytical tools. General Motors plants now have 24 spectrographic installations in operation or on order. Attended only by General Motors men, these conferences provide for frank and critical examination of methods and their fundamental physical a n d chemical aspects, as well as closely associated problems of physics, chemistry,' a n d metallurgy. Five conferences have been held, a t which papers have been presented by R. E . Nusbaum and D . L. F r y of the Research Laboratories Division, S. F . Simpson of Chevrolet, W. N . Hatfield of Delco-Remy, R. W. Smith of AC Spark Plug, Η . Η . Grossman of Harrison Radiator, E . Osborne of Buick, F . D . Brookshire and W . R. O'Neill of Cadillac Motor, L . A. Danse of Standards Section, a n d R . B . Schenck of Buick. Further meetings are planned.
Electronics Exhibit An electronic precision industrial instru ments demonstration will be held Dec. S b y the Brown I n s t r u m e n t C o . a t the Hotel Coronado, St. Louis. T h e demonstration will include two W a l t Disney animated films on basic electronics a n d electricity, released b y Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Co., of which Brown company is a division. The-exhibit will-climax an^ eight-weeks' course in fundamental theories of electronics which halve been held w e e k l y · a t t h e Hotel DèSoto'if'St.^ Louis, and:?; Hotel Stratford, Alton,I III ; 'Èetween 150; and 200 s ï ^ ë n t s have been attending t h e classes.:-."_ \ SH^ i The;display will include l a t e s t circular/and strip'charti electronic^potentiometers; "as-well as' other;recent:models of in mente; ^ Ϋ^^^^^'^Ρ-^^ά'^=^3ά^ϊ·ίSiSfe
AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
