14- On the Cultivation tfthe Vine, 



2d, By making the vintage from time to time : this motiort 

 is attended with this advantage, that it renews the fermenta- 

 tion when it has ceaied or become weak, and caufes it to be' 

 uniform throughout the mafs. 



3d, By laying a covering not only over the vintage, but' 

 found about the vat. 



4th, By heating the armofphere of the place in which the 

 vat itands. 



It often happens that the Working of the viritage' flackens, 

 or that the heat is unequal through the mafs : it is to obviate" 

 thefe inconveniences, efpecially in cold countries, where they 

 are more frequent, that the vintage is from time to time trod 

 upon. Gentii made two vatfuls, of eighteen butts each, 

 and with grapes from the fame vines, and collected at the 

 fame time : the grapes were freed from the fkins, ftalks, -&c. 

 and bruifed ; the juice of both was perfectly equal in quality, 

 and the vintage was put into vats or equal fize : the weather, 

 but particularly in the morning and at night, was exceed- 

 ingly cold. 



'A.t the end of fome days the fermentation began : it wa$ 



obferved that the centre of the vats was exceedingly warm 



, he edges very cold; the vats were fo clofe as to touch 



e*ch other, ; and both experienced the fame temperature. 



Thev were prefTed down with a long pole. The cold vintage 



was pumed from the edges towards the centre where the heat 



ftrongeft : it was preflcd down feveral times, and by 



thefe means an equal heat was maintained throughout the 



whole mafs. The fermentation in the vat where this procefs 



had been followed was iiniihed twelve or fifteen hoifrs fooner 



than in the other. The wine was far better, it was more 



ate*, had a fupcrior tafle, and was more highly coloured 



a...i more generous. No one would have faid that it was 



produced from the lame grapes. 



The antients mixed aromatic fubftances wi:h the vintage 

 in a tlate of fermentation, in order to give their wines pecu- 

 liar qualities. We arc told by Pliny that it was ufual in 

 Italy to fprinkle pitch and rcfin over the vintage ut odor i'/no 

 contingcret el faporis acumen. In all the works of that period 

 we find numerous recipes for perfuming wines; but thefe 

 different procefles are no longer ufed. I am, however, in- 

 clined to think that they were of great benefit. This very 

 important part of oinology deferves the particular attention 

 of the agriculturift. When we confider the cuftom followed 

 in fome countries of perfuming the wines with rafpberries, 

 fhe dried flowers of the vine, &c. we may even prefage the 

 happieft effects from it. 



Darcet 



