The Division of Agricultural Biochemistry in the Department of Agriculture offers a curriculum in agricultural biochemistry and in addition teaches service courses above the first-year level for other students in that department. In addition, the Department of Agriculture maintains chemistry courses in three secondary schools of agriculture. Graduate work in chemistry is administered by the graduate school and utilizes the faculties of the several units referred to as well as the members of the investigational staffs. The investigational work of a chemical nature of the University includes that of the ~griculturhExperiment Station in soils and in biochemistry, the Mines Experiment Station, the Engineering Experiment Station, the Medical School, and the Maya Foundation.
Sterilization of Swimming Bath Water. With regard to the fact that by sterilization with a measured trace of chlorine gas, comhined with other treatment, it is now possible to operate swimming baths for many months with the same water, some interesting chemical and bacteriological test figures have been made available. These relate to the Hoxton Baths, Shoreditch (London), and represent the water after a summer season's running, equal to use by ahout 100,OW bathers. The instalaltion comprises a first-class bath with a capacity of 140,WO gallons, and a second-class of 79,000 gallons. The contents of both baths are circulated, respectively. through the purification plant at the rate of 23,400 and 13,200 gallons per hour. All the equipment has been supplied b y the paterson Engineering Co., Ltd. After the season's running the ammoniacal nitrogen in the first-class bath is 0.0026 part per 100,000, and in the second-class bath 0.0040, whileFthe corresponding figures for albuminoid nitrogen are 0.0094 and 0.0140. The "nitrous" nitrogen is nil, indicating the absence of organic material, and the "nitric" nitrogen is 0.730 part per 100,000 in both cases. There is no trace of free chlorine, the chlorides are ouly 5.10 and 5.30 per 100,000, respectively, while the total COI is 37.0 and 36.0, of which 1.20 and 1.80 are "free" C02. The water is perfectly clear, equal in color to average good quality drinking water, neutral in reaction, and without smell, while the total hardness is 24.5'. London town water supply being, of course, very high in this respect. As regards the bacteriological analysis in both baths, Bacillus Coli communis and Bacillus Enterilidis sporogenes are entirely absent in 100 cc. The total number of colonies per cc. capable of growing upon nutrient gelatin a t 20'C. in 3 days is 6 in the case of the first-class bath and 10 for the second-class bath, while in each case 2 colonies only were grown upon agar jelly a t 3 7 T . in one day.-Chem. Age, 20,336 (April 6, 1929). Sulfur from Canadian Smelter Plants. Professor M. C. Boswell, of the faculty of applied science in the University of Toronto, is said t o have developed a n important new process for the extraction of sulfur from the sulfur dioxide gas produced in Canadian metallurgical plants. A t present three million dollars' worth of sulfur is brought annually into Canada, the greater portion of which is used by the pulp and paper industry. Should Professor Boswell's discovery lead to the economical production of sulfur, the benefit, not ouly to the mining industry, but also to the pulp and paper industry, would be very great. I t is believed that as much as sin or seven per cent of the fumes from Canadian smelters consists of sulfur dioxide, the effect of which on surrounding vegetation is very serious.-Chem. Age, 20, 388 (April 20, 1929).
