926 Experiments 



Experiment DCXXXIII. March 30. A. 20 barley seeds are sowed 

 on wet paper, under a bell of 11 liters containing 50% of carbonic 

 acid and 50 of ordinary air. 



B. As controls, other seeds are sowed under a bell of 2.5 liters full 

 of ordinary air. 



April 3. Evident germination in B. 



April 9. The shoots in B are 3 to 4 cm. high; nothing in A. On the 

 seeds in B abundant mold has appeared; there is nothing in A. 



April 22. There are fine shoots in B, and its air contains C0 2 4.4; 

 O, 13.6. No shoots in A, the air of which still contains 9.3 of oxygen. 



A, when left in the open air, does not sprout. 



And so, with 20 % to 30% of carbonic acid, there is merely sus- 

 pension of germination; but with 50%, the seeds are killed. And 

 what is true of seeds of barley is true of molds, as we see in the 

 very experiment which has just been reported. 



It is not surprising then to see that putrefaction itself is greatly 

 delayed and even checked in an atmosphere laden with carbonic 

 acid. 



That is what happened in the following experiments: 



Experiment DCXXXIV. December 14. Fragments of muscles placed 

 in bells filled: 



A, with air; 



B, with almost pure carbonic acid. 



January 8. A is foul, in full decay, covered with mold; B has no 

 odor and no mold is apparent. 



Experiment DCXXXV. January 14. Fragments of muscles placed 

 in bells filled: 



A, with air; 



B, with a mixture (O, 14.4; N 54.6; CO, 31%). 



January 17. The air of A now contains only 18.1 of oxygen, with 

 3 of CO,; it smells bad. 



The air of B has not changed its composition and has no odor. 



Experiment DCXXXVI. July 29. A thin slice of beef weighing 100 

 gm. is hung in the glass apparatus, under a pressure of 6 atmospheres, 

 5 of which are carbonic acid. 



August 10. Decompression. 



The meat has no odor; its color is rather dull. I cook it; it has 

 no putrid odor or taste; but its flavor is disagreeable, insipid, sweetish, 

 like that of meat kept in compressed oxygen. 



Finally, the muscular contractility is rapidly destroyed by car- 

 bonic acid and very probably the same thing would be true of the 

 other vital characteristics. 



