EXPERIMENTS OF 1910. 



15 



In lot B, in which carbon dioxid and 5 ccof alcohol were used, the 

 highest colored fruit contained perceptible amounts of soluble tannin, 

 although not enough for the fruit to be inedible. A specimen show- 

 ing a slight amount of green near the calyx was more astringent, 

 while the most immature fruit, as judged by color, contained much 

 soluble tannin. The lot, on the whole, processed slightly less readily 

 than lot A. 



In lot C, using carbon dioxid and 10 cc of alcohol, the most highly 

 colored specimen was beginning to soften. The firmer portions of 

 the fruit contained perceptible amounts of soluble tannin, but it 

 was edible. The highest-colored firm fruit contained slightly larger 

 amounts of tannin, while specimens less mature than this were 

 decidedly more astringent. On the whole, less effect of the treat- 

 ment in accelerating the tannin change was shown than occurred 

 in lots A and B. 



In the case of lot D, in which carbon dioxid and 15 cc of alcohol 

 were employed, the highest colored fruit was also found to be soften- 

 ing slightly. All of the remaining fruits were firm and nonastringent. 

 Here, therefore, the presence of alcohol had accelerated the rate of 

 processing. The fruits tasted perceptibly of alcohol. 



In lot E, where carbon dioxid and 25 cc of alcohol were used, all 

 fruits were nonastringent. Alcohol again had accelerated slightly 

 the rate of processing. 



From this experiment the fact was revealed that persimmons would 

 process in carbon dioxid alone. Mr. Fairchild and Mr. Dorset, of 

 the Bureau of Plant Industry, looked over the fruits critically and 

 considered that the fruits processed in carbon dioxid alone were equal 

 in flavor and superior in texture to those processed in carbon dioxid 

 with alcohol, as their flesh was distinctly more crisp. 



The changes in the weight of the fruit in the desiccators were very 

 small. The largest loss in weight was 9 grams, or 0.4 per cent, which 

 was lost from 2,181 grams of fruit. The check lot, however, lost 102 

 grams from an initial weight of 2,374 grams, or 4.3 per cent. The 

 figures are given in the following table: 



Changes in the weight of fruit in experiment 5. 



Not weighed. 



