On Madame Gervais' New Method of Fermentation. S5 



duced, as gi'apes, pears, apples, or malt and hops ; but such 

 accuracy hi the proportions cannot be expected, either from 

 nature working at large, and varying in every climate, soil, 

 and situation ; or from short-sighted man acting mechanically, 

 and frequently in ignorance of what he is doing. 



A perfect fermentation, therefore, has been considered an 

 object almost impossible to be obtained ; and all we wish to 

 show is, that the errors of the mixture may be corrected, and 

 the whole process im))roved, by good management. 



The common practice, initil a few years back, has been to 

 feiTnent in open vessels ; and though it was a circumstance 

 well known among chemists, that a certain portion of spirit 

 and flavour escaped in the form of vapour during the j^rocess, 

 yet no one had an idea that the condensatory system could be 

 applied ; as it appeared impossible to effect the fermentation 

 in air-tight vessels, being unable to surmount the great diffi- 

 culty which existed, of keeping down and managing that 

 enormous bulk of non-condensable gases, which are emitted 

 during the decomposition of the saccharine matter, and which 

 acquire gi'eater expansive force by the gradual increase of 

 heat. 



The idea, however, occurred to Madame Gervais, a pro- 

 prietor of considerable vineyards near Montpellier, who has. 

 founded a system on the following jninci};)le : that what is 

 termed the vinous fermentation, is a mild, calm, and natural 

 distillation; which, according to the usual acceptation of the 

 word, lias proved a correct sj'stem, since not a single drop 

 of spirit is formed before it connnences, nor after it is over. 

 Having first laid down this ground-work, she proceeded to 

 obtain an apparatus that would o}ierate in such manner as 

 to return into the vessel the s}iirit and flavour that was evolved 

 from the fermenting gyle, and let out the non-condensable 

 gases, which might, by the increasing heat, ac(]uire too great 

 {tn expansive force, and burst the working-tun : a short de- 

 scription of this apparatus will be a fresli proof that the 

 greatest advantages are often derived from the most simple 

 means. 



It consists of a vessel resembling tlie head ol' the ancient 

 still, and constructed of such lt)rm as to be capable of being 

 placed securely on the back, or vat, in which the })rocess of 

 fermentation is to be carried on ; the back or vat jnust be 

 closed air-tight, with a hole in the top, connnunicating with 

 that j)art of the apjiaratus called the cone or condenser. This 

 cone is surrounded by a cylinder or reservoir, which is to be 

 filled with cold water, so that the alcoholic vapour or steam, 

 evolved during the process, niay be condensed as il comes in 



K 2 contact 



