AECD-3446 -20- proved unsuccessful as it was not possible to confine the gas enoughfor it to becomeeffective. Terrestrial plants for assay were either ashed aboard ship or brought back entire without freezing or preservation except for the coconuts which were lightly treated with formalin. were pressed as herbarium specimens. Terrestrial plants and some algae All plankton samples as well as those fish and algae specimens that were used for identification were preserved in formalin. ASHING The ashing procedure used in 1949 was similar to the 1948 procedure except that acid was not used, weighing of samples and of ash was more accurate, and temperatures were controlled more carefully, At the Applied Fisheries Laboratory, specimens were identified fur- ther before they were ashed preparatory to counting. Large fish, large invertebrates, birds, and rats were dissected as to tissue, and portions were ashed in pieces, usually of from oneto five grams weight. Algae and plankton were ashed whole as were some small fish and invertebrates. Terrestrial plants were processedat the State College of Washington, Pullman, Washington, and duplicate samples (coconuts) were sent to the Applied Fisheries Laboratory, University of Washington, for ashing and counting, Water samples were sent to the University of California at Los Angeles for analysis. Data concerning ashing and counting were recorded on form sheets. The samples of wet tissue were ashed on procelain dishes or stainless steel dishes orStaifiess steel plates. ashed in porcelain dishes. About the first-one hundred sampleswere __ However, ashing in porcelain was discontinued when it was found that the dishes alone gave a count of about 15 per minute in the proportional range of the Nucleometer. It was believed that it might be possible to contaminate the sample if the porcelain should flake off during the heating process and for that reason the use of porcelain dishes was discontinued. Mean net weight and standard error of wet samples were 3.8 + 0.4 grams, The tissues were dried on a hot plate under heat lamps for 2-5 hours cery \GO vil UNIVERSTE . 4 ith A oF W UNITY.