Jane 17, 1889. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENKE. 



409 



to ripen tb&m, and (bey will not unfreqnently start into 

 growth late in eumtncr aud aiittimn wlien the tempcraturs ma; 

 not exceed 50° ut Li^lit. Tliin hliows that to scouro a gocid 

 summer growth Ihe (jlunts must be wintered in a low tempera- 

 ture, and until they are bo treated they ought not to be placed 

 in a cool honse, aa the chances are agiiiust their succeeding 

 well for a time at least, even if they survive the uunatiual 

 transition. — O. Aubet. 



OUT-OF DOOR GRAPE CULTURE- 

 MANUFACTURE. 



-WINE 



(Continued from papn 37G.) 

 Exactly the same utensils will be required for the making 

 of Rhubarb aud Uooseberiy wine as for that of tho Grape, and 

 I will specify them now. On account of tho qnantity of Grapes 

 that my Vines now annually produce I Lave put up a screw 

 winepress, which greatly fuclliiates my operations ; but as 

 nine-tenths of the people for whom I nm writing may never 

 possess so desirable an apparatus, 1 will point out the homely 

 contrivances which are generally found on a cottager's promises, 

 or which can be purchased at a small cost. Of course, all 

 articles to be employed in winemaling should be fcrnpulously 

 clean and kept perfectly sweet. They are the following — a 

 garden basket, of which the weight is known, to contain the 

 Gooseberries or Grapes when gathering them ; weighing scales ; 

 a washing bench ; two or three large, brown, glazed earthenware 

 pans (I formerly used washing-tubs, but I have discarded these, 

 because they absorbed so much of the saccharine matter), 

 holding about fourteen gallons each ; casks of suitable capacity 

 (if brandy casks so much the better), containing say from five 

 to nine gallons each ; two two-gallon stone bottles, and two 

 one-gallon bottles ; a spouted two-qnart jug ; a long-spouted 

 two or four-gallon tin can ; a pint measure ; a galvanised iron 

 lading-bowl ; three or four brown, glazed, earthenware milk 

 pans; a large and small tin funnel, a colander, two largo 

 wooden spoons, a mallet, a gimlet, a pair of pinceirs, and a pair 

 of cutting-pliers; buugs, vent-pegs, two boxwood "medicine 

 taps," a stout piece of coarse canvas, trams and wedges to 

 secure the casks with, and a pail and scrubbing brush. If 

 there were in addition a largo pesile and mortar, or if these 

 could be borrowed for the operation, the Rhubarb aud Goose- 

 berries could be crushed much more easily than with the mallet 

 upon the washing bench or in a tub. A small brewing ther- 

 mometer and a cheap glass eaccharometer would also obviate 

 guesswork. 



Rhubarb and Gooseberry may truthfully be termed the poor 

 man's wine?, for there can be no diiBculty, where a corner of 

 almost any description of soil is to be had, in producing the 

 leafstalks for Ihe one and the fruit; for the other. From the 

 middle of Jane to the beginniDg of July U the proper time for 

 making them into wine, for then the Gooseberries are just 

 sufficiently soft to take an impression of the Ihjger and thumb 

 without being too ripe, and the stalks of the Rhubarb are of the 

 right age. Each may. be made into wine separately ; but long 

 practice has oonvincod me that a mixture of two-thirds by 

 weight of Rhubarb and one-third of Gooseberries is far pre- 

 ferable, for Ihe Gooseberries de'itroy the mawkishness of the 

 Rhubarb, and the latter softens the asperity of the Gooseberry 

 wine. 



Presuming that nine gallons are to be made, a nine-gallon 

 cask and a gallon stone bottle will be wanted, also 42 lbs. of 

 nnpeeled Rhubarb stalks, and '.illbs. of Gooseberries. A few 

 pounds of the latter added, subtracting the same weight of 

 Rhubarb stalks, will not matter if there be a bountiful supply 

 oi Gooseberries, but do not curtail the latter by adding a larger 



t proportion of Rhubarb. 



■■' Deprive the Rhubarb of its leaves, and if the mere inch or so 

 of the footstalk which was covered by the ground, and the 



■'Bnuffs and stalks of the Gooseberries, be cut aud picked off, all 

 the better, though whether this be done or not is not very 

 material ; but as soon as possible after gathering and weighing 

 them the Rhubarb stalks should be cut into 2 inch lengths and 

 crushed in a pan. The Gooseberries should then be treated in 

 a similar manner and added to tho must, as we shall now have 



• to call it, of the Rhubarb. This crushing, in the absence of a 

 pestle and mortar, may be performed with the mallet on the 

 face of the washing stool, placing immedi-itely beneath the 

 latter a large tub to catch the juice and smashed must. AVhen 

 the brnising is completed the pulp is run into the fermenting 

 pao. Both the Rhubarb and (Gooseberries may also be crushed 



by a vertical rammer at tho bottom of a tub, ladling the mual 

 from time to time into the working pan ; and it must be noted 

 that crude Rhubarb juico will stain linen with ironmould, there- 

 fore some coarse material, as wrappering, would bo advisable 

 over all. Tour five gallons Of clean water into the pan and 

 stir it well with a wooden spoon, eo as to well mix the two 

 musts together; then put a couple of fquaro stakes, or some- 

 thing on which an old blanket can be suspended over the pan. 

 A saccharometer would at this stage be very c.nvcnient to prove 

 tho speoilio gravity of the juice, which is done as follows: — 

 Strain about a pint of the juice through the colander, put some 

 into the tin tube of the glass instrument, and plunge the sac- 

 charomoter in it, when the index will probably float at i", or 5°, 

 or more. Note the indication, and then fdlow the must to 

 remain about twenty-four hours overea with tho blanket, iri a 

 temperature ranging from G0° to 70'' (from 50° to RO" will do), 

 and at the expiration of that time uncover and stir Ihe must 

 again, strain off a little as before, and it will in all probability 

 be seen that it has gained in sweetness a degree or more. 

 Replace the covering, and prove the strength again in twelve 

 hours, and should the sweetness prove greater, or remain at 

 the same degree as at the last proving, all is well, and the must 

 may be allowed to remain twelve hours more ; but should the 

 saccharometer denote less sweetness — viz., if tho degree on 

 the index-plate is again 4", it shown that the liquor should 

 be instantly strained ofi from the must, a« its quality is dete- 

 riorating, and it would require more sugar to bring it up to its 

 former degree of sweetness. This would be a loss through 

 neglect. 



If a winepress is not to be had, the liquor must be pressed 

 off through the colander, made to rest upon the two squared 

 stakes over the pan, aud the arms of the operator become as 

 rigid as the stakes, in consequence of the pressing. It would 

 be well to make a mark in the fermenting-pan, to thow at once 

 when there are ten gallons in it, as that will be the quantity of 

 liquor required to be measured off before adding the sugar. 

 Should the quantity not come up to the mark on the first 

 straining, add more water at a temperature of 80' to the pressed 

 must ; stir it well, and strain it off into the pan until the con- 

 tents of the latter measure ten gallons. Prove the strength 

 again with the saccharometer, note it, and add 32 lbs. cf the 

 best loaf sugar, along with 4ozs. of powdered red argol pro- 

 cured from the chemist's, which imparts keeping properties 

 wantingin all winesof this description, excepting that of the ripe 

 Grape. Two or three lbs. of honey added also to the liquor at 

 this time soften it, aud tend to make it effervescent like Cham- 

 pagne. Should this be decided upon, not quite eo much sugar 

 would be required — say 30 lbs. After the sugar is dissolved, 

 the saccharometer should float at 40°. The above proportions 

 of 30 lbs. of sugar and 3 lbs. of honey, would by guesswork, in 

 every probability, bring the ten gallons of liquor up to this 

 degree of sweetness, or they might not, though the difference 

 one way or the other need not cause any feeling of distrast. 

 Nevertheless, on the supposition that we were makiug fifty 

 gallons cf tho wine, the value of the sugar added by guess in 

 excess of that required, would probably more than pay for the 

 instrument ; or, on the other hand, from the want of suiBcient 

 sugar, the wine might be found unpalatable. Hence the 

 value of the instrument as a guide. I believe I use more sugar 

 in my practice than many of our best wine makers recommenid. 

 I have tried less quantities according to the receipts of others, 

 and I have invariably found that I was obliged eventually, in 

 order to give body, aud to please the English palate, to add an 

 amount of sugar more than equal to that which I have recom- 

 mended above ; for the wines would so attenuate themselves in 

 the cask, that if I had not kept on adding dissolved loaf sugar 

 to keep up the gravity, they would have drunl: miserably thin, 

 or possibly acetous fermentation would have set in, and the 

 result would have been vinegar. I find, besides, that it is 

 never satisfactory to have to apply much sugar to keep up a 

 standard of sweetness iu these wines after the liquor has 

 finished its fermentation, and been fined off. In short, if 

 the wines do not contain sufficient sugar at first, they cannot 

 be sweetened properly afterwards, although slight additions of 

 sugar (the saccharometer will show us when they are necessary) 

 to give body, when the wines are allowed to remain in the 

 casks unbottled above a year, will be always advisable to please 

 those who do not like what are called "dry wines." If, on 

 the other hand, the young liquor is too much sweetened at first, 

 it would remain overloaded with unfermented sugar, and a 

 clouded appearance, a mawkish taste, and pricking upon the 

 palate, will be tho cohsequcnees. These evils cannot nf lerwards 



