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68
THE
COMPLETE
PRACTICAL
DISTILLER.
lessen
it
in
the
summer
;
and
in
all
cases
the
lob
must
be
put
to
fermentation
as
soon
as
its
temperature
is
fallen
to
110°.
Should
he
wait
longer,
he
is
exposed
to
have
the
whole
mass
spoiled
by
the
acetous
fermentation,
which
is
easily
developed
at
that
temperature.
During
the
sub-
siding
of
the
maceration
a
phenomenon
takes
place
which
has
for
its
object
to
saccharify
the
fecula
of
grain,
and
to
predispose
it
thus
to
fermentation,
which
it
could
not un-
dergo
without
it.
In
fact,
if
corn,
taken
in
a
raw
state,
was
simply
di-
luted
with
water
at
100°,
to
form
a
mixture
bearing
77°
of
heat,
the
most
proper
temperature
for
fermentation,
the
latter
would
never
be
developed
;
or,
at
least,
it
would
only
declare
itself
after
many
days,
and
that
with
very
little
intensity.
It
is
not
the
case
when
the
mashing
has
been
well
conducted
;
and
the
more
favourable
the
con-
ditions
under which
it
has
been
executed,
the
better
the
fermentation
will
proceed.
Mashing
may
then
be
con-
sidered
a
real
saccharification
;
and
if
we
remark
the
ana-
logy
between
the
saccharification
and
an
experiment
by
which
starch
has
been
converted
into
sugar,
by
means
of
water,
gluten,
and
a
temperature
of
145°
kept
up
for
twelve
hours,
the
saccharification
of
the
fecula
of
corn
during
the
mashing
will
easily
be
conceived.
In
fact,
all
grain
contains
gluten,
with
which
the
starch
is
in
immediate
contact.
Water
is
added
during
the
ope-
ration,
and
the
mixture
is
exposed
to
a
temperature
of
145°.
This
is
the
most
proper
temperature
for
mash-
ing;
by
this
heat
starch
is
converted
into
sugar
in
the
shortest
space
of
time.
Not
that
this
effect
could
not
be
obtained
at
a
lower
temperature,
—
100°,
for
instance,