CHAP. VII. FRUIT. 295 
" Water before 
Water at 
ripeness. 
ripeness. 
Apricots 
/ 4 o/ 
^^uirciiiib . 
• . OO '±1. 
Ol IV/ 
Duke Cherries 
88-28 
74-85 
Green Gages . 
. 74-87 
71-10 
Melting Peaches . 
90-31 
80-24 
Jargonelle Pears . 
. . 86-28 
83-88 
" This diminution appears to depend in part upon the fruit 
absorbing less water as it approaches maturity, and in part 
upon the combination with its tissue of a portion of the water 
it has received. Sugar, on the contrary, appears to be con- 
tinually on the increase, as indeed the taste would tell us ; 
thus we find, per cent., — 
" Green. 
Ripe. 
" Apricots (a trace when 
young, afterwards) 
6-64 
16-48 
Red Currants 
. 0-52 
6-24 
Duke Cherries 
1-12 
18-12 
Green Gage Plums 
17-71 
24-81 
Melting Peaches 
0-63 
11-61 
Jargonelle Pears . 
6-45 
11-52 
" This sugar is sometimes in a state more or less concrete, 
as in the Grape, the Fig, and the Peach; sometimes in a 
liquid state. It seems to be formed at the expense of other 
matters, the proportion of which diminishes. Thus the quan- 
tity of lignine per cent, is found — 
" Green. 
Ripe. 
Apricots .... 
3-61 
1-86 
Currants (including the seeds) 
. 8-45 
8-01 
Duke Cherries 
2-44 
1-12 
Green Gage Plums 
. 1-26 
1-11 
Melting Peaches 
3-01 
1-21 
Jargonelle Pears 
3-80 
2-19 
It is possible, indeed, that the lignine formed 
in the green 
fruit does not in reality diminish, but that the dilatation of 
the cellular tissue, and consequently the augmentation of the 
aqueous products, renders it proportionably less, without its 
being absolutely so. But the gummy, mucilaginous, or gela- 
tinous matters, appear very susceptible of changing into sugar; 
u 4 
