Our experiments gave the following results:—As long as the grapes were green, about the end of July and during the first fortnight of August, we obtained no fermentation in our must. Between the 20th and 25th of August a few tubes underwent fermentation, by the action of the little apiculated ferment; and in the course of September the number of tubes that fermented increased progressively. In each series of tubes, however, we always found a few in which there was a complete absence of fermentation.
Here are a few actual examples. In the beginning of September we placed grapes in thirteen tubes, into some whole, into others crushed ones, taken from bunches of the variety known as the _ploussard_, the fruit being already sufficiently ripe to be very pleasant to the taste. All the tubes of this series failing to give us any trace of fermentation, or anything besides ordinary moulds—which indeed appeared in all our experiments, whether there was or was not fermentation—we began a new series of experiments, under similar conditions, on September 28th, as follows:—
Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 tubes containing one uncrushed grape.
No. 5 tube containing two uncrushed grapes.
No. 6 tube containing two crushed grapes.
No. 7 tube containing two crushed grapes, in 2 c.c. of water previously boiled.
No. 8 tube with a fragment of a bunch from which grapes had been cut, and occupying the entire depth of liquid.
No. 9 tube with a fragment of wood from a branch.
Nos. 10, 11, and 12 tubes with a fragment of leaf.
On September 29th and 30th there was no appearance of fermentation in any of the flasks, but all contained flakes of fungoid mycelium. On the 1st of October fermentation more or less marked and active occurred in 2, 3, 4, and 5, in which uncrushed grapes were, accompanied by a general turbidity of the liquid, and a suspension of the development of the fungoid growths. It was still absent in 1, 6, and 7, of which the first contained an entire, the latter crushed grapes. No. 8, containing the woody part of the bunch, was in active fermentation. Nos. 9, 10, 11, and 12, with fragments of branch or leaves, showed no signs of fermentation. The following day No. 1 was fermenting; but from October 5th onwards there was no alteration in the number of fermenting tubes.