them in our official methods in harmony with our newly established system of treatment. In this way the policy of the association as regards methods would continue unaltered year after year, and the committees would not labor under the disadvantage, so often evidenced in the past, of unfamiliarity with the work of their predecessors.

One more presidential suggestion, and I am through. Our constitution provides in definite terms who are eligible to membership in this association. Section 2 reads as follows: "Analytical chemists connected with the United States Department of Agriculture, or with any State or National agricultural experiment station or agricultural college, or with any State or National institution or body charged with official control of the materials named in section 1, shall alone be eligible to membership." And later in the same section we read: “All analytical chemists and others interested in the objects of the association may attend its meetings and take part in its discussions, but shall not be entitled to enter motions or vote." It is not entirely clear in my mind just what the words "any State or National” mean. I had supposed that our memberhsip was limited to agricultural chemists in this country, but the above wording, according to my interpretation, might include those connected with agricultural institutions in any State or country. It hardly seems possible that this could have been the meaning of the framers of our constitution, and but for the fact that our Canadian confrères have always enjoyed all the privileges of the association, I would not raise the point at this time. We all appreciate the valuable contributions to our methods from our Canadian friends, and I think no one would deny to them the privileges of membership, and yet I believe we should maintain this as a North American association. I would suggest, therefore, that this ambiguity in the constitution be considered at this meeting by a special committee, and would recommend that the constitution be so amended as to include Canada and Mexico as the only foreign countries entitled to representation.

The constitution provides that unofficial analytical chemists are not "entitled to enter motions or vote." Surely the more important duty of acting as referee should also be denied them, and yet they are not specifically barred from this privilege by the constitution. Unofficial chemists have frequently acted as our referees in the past, and in many cases the association has benefited by their labors; and yet, with all respect to these gentlemen, the precedent established is a dangerous one and can not be too speedily corrected. We should heed Virgil's warning: "Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes."

I would not have the members of the association assume from the somewhat critical tone of my remarks that I am unmindful of the excellent work of the past, of the authoritative position the association now occupies in scientific and legal circles, and of the patient, self-denying, self-effacing work of many of our members in advancing agricultural analysis to its present high plane. But self-complacency and self-congratulation are not incentives to determined, progressive action. Much of our work in the past has had to do with the comparatively simple problems of agricultural analysis; the work of the future will demand effort of an even higher grade, based on careful, painstaking, intelligently directed research. Every station owes it to the public to do some work of original investigation. The analytical methods employed are in a sense the tools by which any agricultural chemical investigation is made possible. The perfection of these tools alone makes possible successful investigation with them. It is certainly, then, no unworthy or unimportant work for a station to spend time in the careful study and perfection of methods.

APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEES.

At the close of the president's address, which was received with marked approval by the association, the following committees were announced:

Committee on resolutions: Messrs. Van Slyke, Hopkins, and Withers. Committee on nominations: Messrs. Hartwell, Bartlett, and Cathcart. Committee on amendments to the constitution: Messrs. Frear, Kilgore, and Lipman.

On motion by Doctor Wiley the recommendations offered in the president's address were referred to the committee on resolutions. The report of the referee on nitrogen was then presented by the secretary as follows:

REPORT ON THE DETERMINATION OF NITROGEN.

By CHARLES L. PENNY, Referee.

The following circular letter, together with samples of corn meal and cottonseed meal, was sent to members of the association :

The referee and associate referee on nitrogen request you to determine the nitrogen and moisture in a sample of corn meal and one of cotton-seed meal sent to you by mail.

It is requested that nitrogen be determined by the Kjeldahl method and also, if convenient, by the soda-lime method or the absolute method. As a comparison of analytical figures is contemplated, with a view to repetition in cases of wide variation from the average, it is hoped that the work may be done promptly.

Please state in reference to the moisture and the Kjeldahl method

(1) Temperature at which moisture is determined, and also whether in air or hydrogen.

(2) Duplicates of nitrogen separately, not merely the average.

(3) Whether at end of digestion the hot sulphuric acid was quite colorless.

(4) Whether permanganate of potash was used or not; and if used, whether to the point of permanent coloration.

(5) Any other reagents used in the digestion.

(6) The quantity of substance taken for a determination, the amount of sulphuric acid used, and the size of digestion flasks.

(7) The approximate time of digestion and of distillation.

(8) Whether blanks were digested and distilled; and if so, the amount of correction; also whether the distillation was proved to be complete by the collection of a second portion of distillate.

(9) Method of standardizing acid and the indicator used.

It is hoped that all chemists will cooperate in this work, as it is believed that no single determination interests so many as does that of nitrogen, that few are so important, and that unfortunately variations in analytical results have been unreasonably wide.

Address replies to the referee

FEBRUARY 16, 1907.

C. L. PENNY,

Agricultural Experiment Station, Newark, Del.

Fifty-three analysts took part in the work, contributing a valuable collection of opinions and experiments. The generous portion of time and labor given by them shows a deep interest in every attempt at the improvement of our analytical methods. Over 420 separate determinations of nitrogen and about 120 of moisture were made, some according to strictly prescribed methods and others according to methods deviating in several respects from these. The list of analysts participating in this work may be found in the table of moisture

determinations. The samples were taken from a quantity of material thoroughly mixed, bottled, and sealed; it is believed that they were as nearly uniform as they could be made, and fully secured from change in moisture content or other change. The following table shows the percentage of moisture found by the several analysts and the methods pursued by each:

TABLE I.-Results of cooperative work on the determination of moisture in corn meal and cotton-seed meal.

TABLE I.-Results of cooperative work, etc.-Continued.

The moisture was determined in a variety of ways, and there is considerable divergence in the results, partly due to difference in the method and partly to the analysts, but, it is believed, due only slightly to actual differences among the samples. The fluctuations in the moisture of the corn meal, 3.56 per cent, are nearly one-fourth and in that of the cotton-seed meal, 3.332 per cent, over onethird of the actual moisture in the respective substances.

Two well-known and important facts appear from the comparative work of some of the analysts, namely, the oxidizing action of the air, which sometimes accounts for a loss of over 2 per cent of moisture as compared with a determination in hydrogen and the great influence exerted by the length of time allowed for drying. While it may not, perhaps, be within the scope of a report on determining nitrogen, I would emphasize the advantage of returning to a four or five hour time limit for moisture determinations in feeds and similar products. The figures of Mr. Morgan and Mr. Knisely show that even ten or eighteen hours of heating do not give constant weight. Probably every feed control laboratory establishes its own arbitrary time limit, but it would be better if a fixed temperature and a time limit were prescribed to provide against variations of the boiling point at different altitudes.

The following table shows the percentages of nitrogen as determined by 52 analysts, together with the various methods pursued. The numbers assigned are arbitrary and do not refer to the preceding table:

TABLE II.-Percentages of nitrogen found in corn meal and cotton-seed meal, based on the air-dry, not the absolutely dry, state.

6.962

6.958

Same as above except three hours' digestion.

Gunning: 20 cc H2SO4; 10 grams K2SO4; digested four hours.

Gunning; with 0.1 gram copper sulphate; one hour digestion.

Mercuric oxid; colorless; green with KMnO4; one and one-fourth hours' digestion.

Same as above except three hours' digestion.

Mercury; colorless; green with KMnO4; five hours' digestion; distilled in current of steam.

Mercury; three hours' digestion; no 1 KMnO4.

The same as the last, except KMnO4 to permanent coloration.

The same, except five hours' digestion and no KMnO4.

Mercury; 10 grams K2SO4; three hours' digestion; no KMnO4.

The same, except five hours' digestion. The same as the last, except KMnO4 to permanent coloration.

12 grams K2SO4; 0.5 gram Hg; no KMnO4; two and one-fourth hours' digestion.

The same, except three hours' digestion.

(Official Kjeldahl; KMnO, used; one hour digestion.

(Kjeldahl-Gunning; Hg but no KMnO4; two-thirds hour digestion.

Same as last, except one hour digestion.

Same as above except two and one-half hours' digestion.