186 
VARIETIES. 
of  steam  destroys  the  ferment  in  fruits,  so  that  they  may  be  preserved  for 
a  long  time.  To  learn  when  this  point  has  been  reached,  it  is  necessary  to 
know  how  high  the  temperature  rises  in  the  fluid  enclosed  in  the  bottles 
when  they  stand  shut  up  in  a  room,  the  atmosphere  of  which  has  been 
heated  to  184°  Fahr.,  and  to  learn  the  time  requisite  as  well  as  the  degree 
of  heat  which  is  necessary  for  the  destruction  of  the  ferment. 
The  results  of  his  researches  teach,  that  in  no  instances  the  fluid 
contents  of  the  bottles  which  were  placed  in  the  steam  room  reached  the 
temperature  of  their  surrounding  atmosphere,  until  they  had  stood,  at  the 
very  least,  an  hour  in  it.  In  glass  bottles,  the  influence  of  the  heat  was 
quicker  than  in  stone  ware. 
From  the  commencement  of  the  operation — that  is,  when  the  fire  is  first 
applied  to  the  steam  apparatus,  nearly  half  an  hour  is  required  before  the 
temperature  of  the  steam  room  is  reached  by  the  contents  of  the  bottles, 
when  they  hold  about  two  pints  and  are  made  of  glass.  When  made  of 
stone,  double  that  time  is  necessary.  These  results  arise  from  each  kind 
of  vessel  requiring  a  different  quantity  of  heat  to  raise  it  to  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  steam  room;  consequently  the  steam  room  does  not  arrive  at, a 
temperature  of  184°  with  the  same  quantity  of  fire  with  each  kind  of  vessel. 
When  this  temperature  has  been  reached  in  the  steam  room,  the  contents 
of  the  glass  bottles  will  be  at  164°,  and  those  of  the  stoneware  ones  at  86°. 
Msiyet's  researches  show  that  fruits  and  their  juices  do  not  require  a 
temperature  of  212°  Fahr.  to  preserve  them,  and  that  184°  is  sufficient  to 
destroy  their  ferment,  but  that  care  must  be  taken  to  ascertain  that  the 
contents  of  the  vessels  have  really  reached  this  temperature. — Annals  of 
Pharmacy  and  Practical  Chemistry ;  from  Journal  de  Pharmacie. 
On  the  Growth  of  various  kinds  of  Mould  in  Syrup. — Professor  Balfour, 
the  Professor  of  Botany  in  the  University  of  Edinburgh,  has  read  a  valuable 
paper  on  this  subject,  at  the  Botanical  Society  in  that  city,  in  which  he 
states  that  mould  of  various  kinds,  when  placed  in  syrup,  has  a  tendency 
to  spread  out,  and  form  a  flat,  gelatinous  and  leathery  expansion.  This  he 
shows  by  experiments  as  follows  :  Mould  that  had  grown  upon  an  apple 
was  put  into  syrup  ;  and  in  the  course  of  two  months  there  was  formed 
upon  the  syrup  a  cellular,  flat,  expanded  mass,  while  the  syrup  was  con- 
verted into  vinegar. 
Mould  that  had  grown  upon  a  pear  was  also  put  into  syrup,  and  the  same 
result  was  produced.  He  also  experimented  in  the  same  manner  with 
various  moulds  that  were  growing  upon  bread,  tea,  and  some  other  vege- 
table substances ;  the  effect  produced  in  most  cases,  was  to  cause  a 
fermentation,  resulting  in  the  production  of  vinegar.  In  another  experi- 
ment, a  quantity  of  raw  sugar,  treacle  and  water  were  put  into  a  jar, 
without  any  mould  being  introduced.  When  examined,  after  a  lapse  of 
four  or  five  months,  a  growth  like  that  of  the  vinegar  plant  was  visible, 
and  vinegar  was  formed.  This  plant  was  removed  and  put  into  fresh 
syrup,  which  was  followed  again  by  the  production  of  vinegar.    It  appears 
