EFFECT OF MOISTURE 33 



The same might be true of other very moist food materials. 

 But while a majority of food stuffs are liable to mold in 

 our houses, they are commonly not moist enough to sup- 

 port mold growth if kept in a moderately dry atmosphere ; 

 and even in the case of fruit a moist atmosphere is neces- 

 sary to start the growth. 



From these facts it follows that food capable of being 

 thoroughly dried may be protected absolutely and per- 

 manently from molding. Various kinds of flour and meal, 

 although furnishing excellent food for molds, will keep 

 indefinitely while dry. This statement is an absolute one 

 with no exception. It must, however, be remembered 

 that even the driest of foods may become moist in a 

 damp atmosphere, and that hence the driest material, if 

 exposed to a moist atmosphere, may in a short time show 

 the growth of molds. Flour in a flour barrel, dried apples 

 packed in a box, and dried meat hung in a shed may all 

 show signs of mold in damp seasons. Molds will start 

 upon carpets in damp weather, and upon leather boots or 

 shoes if they are kept in damp closets sufficiently long for 

 the germination of the mold spores that are floating in 

 the air. Books in our libraries and clothes stored away 

 in closets or drawers are not free from molding in damp 

 weather. Sometimes leather pocketbooks will develop mold 

 in our pockets, stimulated by the moisture and heat in our 

 bodies, and will become covered with the well-known mil- 

 dew. Boxes of cotton cloth shipped for transport may 

 mold on their journey if the weather is moist. In short, 

 in damp weather no animal nor vegetable material is free 

 from the possibility of molding, and dryness is in all cases 

 an efficient remedy. 



