175 / 230
SPECIAL
DISTILLATIONS.
175
The
steam-boiler
should
be
supplied
constantly
with
water,
and
it
must
be
perceived
that
in
consequence
of
this
exigence
this
system
would
require,
in
each
operation,
the
combustibles
necessary
to
boil
the
water
requisite
for
the
distillation
of
the
lees
;
these
lees
are
rendered
poorer
when
heated,
for
vapour
of
water
which
fills
this
function
can
only
produce
this
effect
through
its
condensation
in
the
mass,
by
uniting
with
it
until
the
ebullition
com-
mences,
when
this
vapour
determines
the
analysis.
It
is
true
that
with
three
stills
the
expenses
would
not
be
so
considerable
;
but
evidently
they
would
always
be
supplementary
to
those
which
are
attached
to
the
distilla*
tion
of
fluid
wines
by
the
same
process.
This
mode
of
distillation
is
thus
recommended
to
those
it
concerns,
if
it
were
only
to
deprive
the
pressed
lees,
obtained
by
the
means
that
will
be
indicated,
from
the
alcohol
which
they
retain
after
the
operation
of
pressing.
If
more
complicated
apparatus
were
made
use
of
for
the
purpose
of
distilling
lees,
such,
for
instance,
which,
like
the
continuous
apparatus,
force
the
wine
through
nume-
rous
circulations
before
it
arrives
to
ebullition,
it
would
be
difficult,
not
to
say
impossible,
to
obtain
good
results;
the
solid
substances
would
keep
in
the
angles
of
the ap-
paratus,
obstruct
the
conduits,
and
present
a
vast
number
of
similar
difficulties,
which
experience
gives
us
no
hope
of
removing.
The
other
mode
which
has
been
proposed
for
the
distillation
of
lees
is
this
:
—
It
consists
in
assimi-
lating
these
wines
to
those
that
are
perfectly
fluid,
by
first
separating
by
precipitation
all
the
liquid
they
con-
tain,
and
by
submitting
the
solid
residues
to
the
action
of
an
energetic
press.