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SELECTED ARTICLES. 
doubt from disorganized globules, and that the globules whose 
form could yet be distinguished, appeared somewhat dull 
and altered in shape. It appears, then, that if the ferment, 
after it has acted upon the sugar, is less active, although it has 
lost but little weight, it is because it contains fewer whole or 
living globules, from which it would seem probable that it is 
by some effect of their vegetation that the globules destroy 
the equilibrium of the constituents of the sugar, and thus 
gradually produce alcohol and carbonic acid; in addition to 
which it appears, that the globules are such as do not perish 
by being deprived of water, as ferment dried in the air does 
not for a long time lose its power of producing a good fer- 
mentation. 
M. Gay Lussac, in an extract of his paper on fermentation, 
remarks on the subject of vinous fermentation, that it appears 
as yet to be one of the most mysterious operations of chemis- 
try, the more especially as it will only act in succession, 
[Ann. de Chim., 1810.) We may judge how just this re- 
flection was, if, in consequence of my researches, we are led 
to conclude that vinous fermentation is the effect of the 
phenomena of vegetation. 
This philosopher, also, has demonstrated that oxygen exer- 
cised a great influence upon the development of fermentation 
in certain liquids, especially the juice of the grape, but if this 
oxygen is necessary to its commencement, it is not to its con- 
tinuance. From this discovery and other considerations, 
among which was, that that ferment of beer will produce fer- 
mentation in saccharine matters without the influence of oxy- 
gen, M. Gay Lussac gave the opinion that ferment may exist 
in a solid state in a great number of substances, but in a pecu- 
liar state differing from that of the ferment of beer. 
With the view of having some knowledge of the nature of 
this difference, I made the following trial, the results of which, 
as we shall see, appear to demonstrate that the above opinion 
is well founded. 
Thus, I kept, according to his process, for five days over 
mercury, the juice of the grape, which I had expressed for 
