92 



Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria. 



With these we get the average of all the 315 samples given in 

 the following table, along with the French and German averages : 



Table II. 



It will be seen that although the sugar strength in Victorian 

 musts for 1894 is somewhat lower than in those of 1893, the 

 average strength of Victorian musts is about a third as great 

 again as the French and German averages. The reasons for the 

 slight variation in the Victorian averages for 1893 and 1894 are 

 probably the difference in rainfall, that for 1893 being below, and 

 that for 1894 being above the mean annual value; and the fact 

 that, in order to overtake the greater number of samples of 1894, 

 determinations had to be begun earlier must be borne in mind, 

 as it caused the introduction into the average of a number of 

 samples taken at the earliest stage of the vintage. But under 

 all the conditions it may l>e said that the two years, 1893 and 

 1894, taken together have been favourable for giving results 

 which must be close to those tliat would be obtained by averaging 

 for a number of years. 



The most interesting point in connection with the sugar 

 strength of the average Victorian must is the estimation of the 

 amount of alcohol which it can yield in the corresponding wine. 

 According to the chemistry of the alcoholic fermentation of sugar 

 it is allowed tliat when a solution of sugar is completely 

 fermented the sugar yields almost exactly the half of its own 

 weight of alcohol (strictly 48-6 per cent., see Pasteur, Ann. de 

 Chiinie et de Phys.., 3rd ser., 58, p. 330). Accordingly, the 24-2 

 grammes of sugar in 100 c.c. of average Victorian must would, 



