54 



Report S.A.A. Advancement of Science. 



several times with distilled water and mixtures of alcohol and ether 

 to remove minaral and organic salts. 



Microscopic examination of the residuum did not reveal any 

 micro-organisms other than those usually found in wine lees. 



Mixed with sound wmes it decomposed in the course of three 

 or four days, and the wines showed all the characteristics of wines 

 affected by " casse." 



This experiment was repeated with different types of wines, and 

 it was noticed that the phenomenon did not take place with the same 

 intensity with all wines. Some could be brought back to their normal 

 strte by fining ; others could not. The former, when mixed again 

 with black precipitate, would resume the characteristics of broken 

 wine. 



APPARATUS USED. 



Several glass flasks of special shape (A. a) Fig. s. The lower 

 extremity tapering to a capillary point hermetically sealed by fusion, 

 the upper part provided with a neck and bulb, which may be closed 

 with a plug of sterilized cotton wool (D). 



The apparatus G, shown in Fig. i, is composed of two similar 

 parts E and F. Each part is com^wsed of a porcelain filter fitted in 

 a brass ring (B, b) provided exteriorly with a thread, on to which is 

 screwed a second ring (H, h) carrying a tin vessel provided at the 

 bottom with a tube (O, o) and tap (P, p). A cap (K, k) surmounted 

 by a tube (L, 1) carrying a bulb (N, n) and funnel (M, m) is screwed 

 over the tin vessel. 



Tube O is fixed by an india-rubber coupling to a special wide- 

 graduated tube (S). Tube O is fixed in the same manner to a 

 bolLle (T) provided with three necks, the centre neck having a 

 capillary constriction at (V). Tube (S) and bottle (T) are each 

 provided with a horizontal tube narrowed at (e), and stopped with two 

 plugs of cotton wool. A fine tube (X) joins the bottom of tube (S) 

 to the top of the bottle (T). Bottle (T) bears a mark, indicating 

 lOOO c.c. 



EXPERIMENT. 



150 grammes of affected wine (in which the proportion of black 

 matter has been previously measured) are placed in flask (A) pre- 

 viously sterilized at 150^0. The neck is plugged with sterilized 

 of — i5°C. for 24 hours. 



One litre of sound wine is placed in flask (a), plugged and 

 sterilized in the same manner. 



The whole apparatus G is also sterilized by keeping it at a 

 temperature of i2o*-'C. for several hours. 



The required quantity of broken wine is introduced into tube 

 (S) in the following manner. The capillary extremity of flask (A) is 

 passed slowly through the cotton wool of funnel (M), and flamed at 

 the same time with a Bunser burner until it reaches tap (R), which 

 is left open. The cotton wool in funnel (M) soon ignites, and is 

 replaced by new cotton wool to keep the flask in position. 



