ON THE FECULA OF GREEN PLANTS. 23 



the aggregation of animalifed matters, take away the forms of 

 filk, horn, wool, feather, &c. and it is clear that then being 

 confidered only as to their conftitnent parts, they would be al- 

 bumen, gluten, fibre, and all that can be ftated, becaufeif the 

 conftituent parts are, in all refpecls, the fame, (which even 

 now has not hitherto been examined, and which neverthelefs 

 is the only proper means of diftinguifhing them from each 

 other,) nothing would remain but to afcertain the proportions 

 in which nature has combined them, in order to give them 

 their refpective properties or being. 



But, it may be added, that if the albumen be not feparated Whether fecula 

 from the juices with characters as diftina as may be wifhed, be aIbamen * 

 this muft be afcribed to the extracl, the falts, and the acids 

 which are conftantly united with it, and which cannot but dif- 

 guife it a little ; it is particularly in the warnings of flour that 

 it muft be fought, to be obtained in fuch a ftate of purity as 

 to put its nature paft all doubt. Let us fee then what the 

 warnings of flour will afford. 



IX. The water of flour like a recently filtered juice, is in a Water of flour 

 ftate of change continually increafing, and which does not refen Mes a fil- 

 ceafe until the acid arifing from the fermentation of the fac- 

 charine principle has completed the precipitation of the gluten. 



All the acids, all the falts which have been applied to the 

 juices operate in a fimilar manner upon the wafhings of flour; 

 alcohol does the fame, but not vinegar, becaufe it diflblves the The gluten fe- 

 gluten. In a word, it is not by coagulating the gluten that parated by acids, 

 acids feparate it from juices and the water of meal, becaufe 

 ammonia and falts do the fame, but rather by attracting the 

 folvent of a fubflance which appears to borrow its folubility 

 from a pure and fimple divifion, but not from an affinity fimi- 

 lar to that which unites gums, fugar, or albumen to water. 



The water from flour expofed to a heat of fifty degrees, and by moderate 

 parts with its gluten like the juice of plants. Neither can fo- heat ' 

 lubility be imparted to the gluten by diluting it with a large 

 quantity of water. It is precipitated by the flighteft impref- 

 iion of heat. 



I have collected to the quantity of an ounce of gluten, fe- 

 parated by heat from fuch wafhings, to be kept in its own 

 moifture; it fermented and produced vinegar and ammonia. 

 At prefent, after two years, it is a dark mafs, cellular, odo- 

 rous and favoury, like the eheefe from glutei. 



To 



