CHAP. VII. FRUIT. 297 



before ripening. It would even seem, from the fruits of 

 Diospyros, the Sorb, and the Medlar, that the more austere a 

 fruit is, the more it is capable of bletting regularly. 



" It has been found that a Jargonelle Pear, in passing to 

 this state, loses a great deal of water (8*88 reduced to 

 62'73), pretty much sugar (11'52 reduced to 8*77), and a 

 little lignine (2- 19 reduced to 1*85) ; but acquires rather 

 more malic acid, gum, and animal matter. Lignine, in par- 

 ticular, seems in this kind of alteration to undergo a change 

 analogous to that of wood in decay." 



The foregoing experiments have led to the discovery that 

 fruits, which do not require to remain on the tree, may be pre- 

 served for some time, and thus the pleasure they afford us 

 prolonged. The most simple process consists in placing, at 

 the bottom of a bottle, a paste formed of lime, sulphate of 

 iron, and water, and afterwards introducing the fruit, it 

 having been pulled a few days before it would have been ripe. 

 Such fruits are to be kept from the bottom of the bottle, and, 

 as much as possible from each other ; and the bottle to be 

 closed by a cork and cement. The fruits are thus placed in 

 an atmosphere free from oxygen, and may be preserved for a 

 longer or shorter time, according to their nature: peaches, 

 prunes, and apricots, from twenty days to a month; pears 

 and apples for three months. If they are withdrawn after 

 this time, and exposed to the air, they ripen extremely well ; 

 but, if the times mentioned are much exceeded, they undergo 

 a particular alteration, and will not ripen at all. 



