and the Method of making Wines. 327. 



quantity of the grapes collected from one vineyard. Those 

 constructed of mason work are for the most part of good cut 

 stone, and the inside is often lined with bricks joined toge- 

 ther by a cement of pozzolano or strong clay. Wooden vats 

 require more care to maintain them, are more subject to 

 variations of temperature, and liable to more accidents. 



Before the vintage is put into the vat, care niust be taken 

 to clean it. It must therefore be washed with warm water 

 and well scrubbed, and the sides must be covered with two 

 or three strata of lime. This covering is attended with this 

 advantage, tliat it saturates a part of the malic acid, which 

 exists abundantly in the must, as we shall show hereafter. 



As the whole process of vinification takes place during 

 the fermentation, since it is by it alone that the must passes 

 to the state of wine, we think it necessary to consider this 

 important subject under several points of view. We shall 

 . first speak of the causes which contribute to produce ferment- 

 ation ; we shall then examine its effects or its product, and 

 shall conclude with deducing, from what we actually know on 

 the subject, some general principles which may direct the 

 agriculturist in the art of managing it. 



Of the Causes which have an Influence on Termentation. 



It is well known that to establish fermentation, and make 

 it follow all its periods in a regular manner, some conditions 

 with which observation has made us acquainted are necessarv. 

 A certain degree of heat, the contact of the air, the existence 

 of a sweet and saccharine principle in the must — such are 

 nearly the conditions that are requisite ; we shall endeavour 

 to make known the effects produced by each of them. 



1 . Influence of the Temperature of the Atmosphere on 

 Fermentation. 



The 54th degree of Fahrenheit is pretty generally considered 

 as the temperature most favourable tospiritous fermentation 5 

 below that degree it is languid ; above, it becomes too tu- 

 multuous. At a temperature too cold or too hot, it does not 

 take place at all. Plutarch observed that cold could prevent 

 fermentation, and that the fermentation of must was always 



proportioned 



