528 Journal of Agriculture. [10 Aug.. 1909. 



M. -Marty in a report to tht- French Goxernment sums up the advan- 

 tages of the use of plaster very concisely as follows: — * 



" The addition of plaster to the grapes renders fermentation more rapid 

 and more complete; it prevents or renders more difficult, subsequent fermentations; 

 it raises the acidity of the wine, whence a more intense and more brilliant (ver- 

 meille) colour; it cleanses (depouille) and clarifies the wine and renders it more 

 marketable; it facilitates its conservation. . . . Thanks to their clarification and 

 iiif^her acidity plastered wines resist better to alterations known under the name of 

 diseases of wine ; they supjiort better heat, transport, manipulation and blending."" 



The restriction if the use of plaster in southern France gave great 

 trouble to wine-makers, and was at first responsible for the making of 

 much faulty wine, until such time as other means were found of con- 

 trolling fermentation. The question of the influence of a certain pro- 

 portion of sulphate or bisulphate of potash in the wine, on the health of 

 the consumer, is foreign to the present report, but it is worthy of note 

 that many eminent men were against the limit being fixed at 2 grammes 

 per litre. Some claimed that the salt was quite inoffensive — certainlv 

 far more so than the products of fault} fermentation which the use of 

 plaster insures the ab.sence of. 



In the case of sherry, plastering seems to be necessary, in order to 

 obtain the maximum of quality — without it, the complicated evolution of 

 the wine during the process of rearing in soleras, does not seem to take 

 place satisfactorily. In an unplastered wine the growth of the flor iilm. 

 which has so much to do with the character of most sherries, is less 

 regular. In fact, the Ijest authorities hold that without plaster in larger 

 •quantities than is permitted under our Act. it is not possible to turn out 

 high-class sherries. 



The Spanish Pure Wine Act allows the use of a larger quantity of 

 plaster in the case of sherry than in that of other wines ; a rational course, 

 for it seems scarcelv logical to retain the same limit for a sherry, of which 

 one does not drink more than one or two small glasses, as for a light 

 vin ordinaire, of which one consumes several times the quantitv. 



The quanity of plaster used in the vintage at ]^rez Jiaturally varies 

 somewhat — in a general way it is from two to three times as much as is 

 allowed by our Act. It thus follows that sherries usually contain from 

 4 to 6 grammes of sulphate of potash per litre, rarely more. Admitting 

 that the wine contained naturally 5 grms. of sulpliate per litre, a liberal 

 -estimate, and that 156 grms. per hectolitre {z2 gallons) will lead to the 

 presence of 2 grms. per litre, it would be necessary to supplement this by 

 the addition of 273 grms. of sulphate of iim^. in order to bring the 

 sulphate of potash contents to 4 grms. per litre : or 429 grms. to bring it 

 to 6 grms. j^er litre. If the grapes yielded wine at the rate of 130 

 gallons to the ton, this would mean respectively the use of y\ lbs. per ton 

 of gra{)es to bring it to 4, and nearly 6 lbs. j^er ton to liring it to 6 grms. 

 per litre. As plaster is rarcK pure sulphate of lime, allowance must be 

 made for impiu'ities 1)\ adding from 15 to 20 [)er cent, more than the 

 above (juantities. 



'I'he pla.ster, which is l>urnt and reduced to powder, is added to the 

 grapes when these are being crushed in the lagar, in small quantities at a 

 time. 



{To be coiifiuucd .) 



* The iiiiotaticiii is from |)r. Frrcleiic Cazalis' Ti-niU' I'ratiijiii' dc Varl ili' fairc If riii, Moiitiiellitr 

 l^iWi, ill wliicli the iniestion is f.\l .aistixilv di-alt witli. 



