Am,  Jour.  Pliarm. ) 
Jan.,  1881.  J 
Syrups  by  Percolation. 
5 
:glass  covered  vessel  and  allowed  to  ferment.  This,  according  to  the 
state  of  temperatnre,  may  take  from  3  to  5  days.  To  accelerate  and 
<5omplete  the  process  of  fermentation  the  vessel  onght  to  be  shaken 
once  or  twice  a  day,  to  reincorporate  the  mass  which  gathers  on  the 
surface  of  tlie  juice.  When  fermentation  has  been  completed  this 
mass  will  generally  settle  to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel.  When  the 
expressed  fruit  juice  is  fermented  no  shaking  is  necessary;  but  the 
work  of  gaining  the  juice  by  pressure  is  exceedingly  tedious,  on 
:account  of  the  gelatinous  consistence  (pectin)  of  the  fruit,  which 
allows  the  pressure  to  be  but  very  slowly  and  gradually  applied.  If 
the  pressure  is  applied  sudden  and  powerfully,  the  press  bag  or  cloth 
wil]  be  torn  invariably.  On  account  of  this  drawback  it  is  more 
expedient  to  ferment  the  crushed  fruit  and  then  express.  Fermenta- 
tion can  be  observed  and  its  cessation  determined  to  a  nicety  if  a  glavSS 
bent  tube  inserted  air  tiglit  in  the  cork  of  the  vessel  containing  the 
fruit  and  its  free  arm  is  made  to  dip  about  one-half  inch  into  water 
contained  in  a  small  glass  vial,  when  the  finishing  of  fermentation  is 
indicated  by  cessation  of  evolution  of  carbonic  acid  gas  escaping 
ithrough  the  glass  mbe  under  water  in  small  bubbles.  The  expressed, 
fermented  juice  from  the  gallon  of  strawberries  measured  2 J  pints. 
This  was  percolated  with  72  troyounces  loaf  sugar.  The  resulting 
syrup  measured  5  pints.  Raspberry  syrup  was  prepared  in  the  same 
manner.  Of  both  syrups,  prepared  in  the  summers  of  '78  and  '79, 
I  have  some  on  hand  now,  which,  in  the  summer  gone  by,  was 
•exposed  to  a  temperature  of  between  80°  to  85°  Falir.  without  spoiling. 
To  insure  the  keeping  qualities  of  syrups  prepared  by  percolation  from 
fermented  fruit  juices,  it  is  of  paramount  necessity  to  use  only  such 
juices  in  which  fermentation  has  been  complete.  They  (the  syrups) 
ought  also  to  hold  in  solution  a  sufficient  quantity  of  sugar.  Percola- 
tion regulates  this  to  a  nicety;  by  it  as  much  sugar  will  pass  into 
solution  as  can  be  conveniently  held,  and  this  is  the  best  criterion  of 
how  much  sugar  a  syrup  ought  to  contain.  Percolated  syrups  will 
not  deposit  any  crystalized  sugar  in  the  bottles,  except  if  they  are 
.exposed  to  a  continuous  low  temperature. 
The  German  Pharmacopoeia  directs  heating  to  the  boiling  point  for  , 
most  of  its  syrups.    It  is  asserted  by  some  that  syrups  ought  to  be 
boiled,  or  heated  to  the  boiling  point,  to  effect  precipitation  of  impuri- 
ties.   Our  Pharmacopceia  does  not  seem  to  be  of  the  same  opinion. 
