Alcoholic Vapor to Preserve Frutt. 459 
“Impressed with the powerful action of alcoholic vapors on the 
mold which generally appears on the surface of fruits in a damp 
atmosphere, Mr. Petit noticed that pears and apples kept for sev- 
eral months in a surrounding saturated with vapors of water and 
aleohol, even were they at the beginning in a state of decay, 
showed no signs of mold, while fruits in every particular identi- 
eally similar to the former, stored under the same conditions, but 
not exposed to the action of alcoholic vapors, were entirely covy- 
ered with it. 
“Taking advantage of this observation, Mr. Petit applied the 
principle to the preservation of fruits in general, and most par- 
ticularly to grapes, because, more than others, the latter are sub- 
ject to mold. It was to be foreseen that grapes kept, from the 
day they are cut off the vines, in an atmosphere saturated with 
vapors of water and alcohol would, by the retarding of the sweat- 
ing period, not only remain free from mold, but would even re- 
tain their natural aspect. Consequently, should the temperature 
be constant and low, the preservation could be maintained long 
and well. 
“On the 31st of October, 1894—that is, very late in the season 
and at a very unfavorable time—Mr. Petit placed, with other 
fruits and a bottle filled with 100 cubic centimeters (61 cubie 
inches) of alcohol at 96°, some bunches of grapes known as 
‘Chasselas de Fontainebleau,’ fresh from the vine, in a brick 
recipient in the form of a parallelopiped, cemented inside and 
closed as hermetically as possible by a common wooden door. 
In two similar recipients contiguous to the first, one of which 
was kept open and the other closed, but without alcohol, were 
stored similar fruits from the same trees and vines. The fruits 
were laid on wood shavings. The recipients were built in a very 
damp cellar, the temperature of which varied regularly from 10° 
to 8° C. (50° to 462° F.) during the whole time the experiment 
lasted. 
“On November 20, the grapes placed in the recipent left open, 
and especially so those in the closed recipient without alcohol, 
were mostly rotten and covered with mold, and were immediately 
removed. In the recipient containing the bottle of alcohol, the 
