February 13, 1878. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAJIDENER. 



151 



for elder berries could always be a comeatable colouring matter 

 for unripe black Grape wiuo for those who have high-coloured 

 notions. 



My 1872 vintage occurred on November 7th, a very good pro- 

 duce for the season ; the Eoyal Muscadine keeping up its charac- 

 ter for ripening best, and the Muscat of Alexandria, curious to 

 say, ripened better than in 1871 ; but the Eaperiones were less 

 coloured than I ever remembered to have seen them, and they 

 did not meet their usual weight by 60 lbs. So, on the recom- 

 mendation of my correspondent above quoted, I was induced to 

 weigh the water with sugar before I put it to the must (accord- 

 ing with the practice of many foreign vintage districts, where 

 the extraction of Grape acid to the uttermost is considered of 

 more consequence for wine-making than the ripening of the 

 Grapes) after this manner ; — As soon as the juice of the first must 

 had fermented and was pressed off, I divided the quantity 

 of sugar required f ,i the whole, and put half of it to the run- 

 off juice, and then dissolved the other part in the quantum of 

 water required, well stirring it amongst the skins, pressed it 

 off when it had arrived at a state of strong fermentation, and at 

 once added it to the first run-off juice in the working pan. I am 

 informed they ferment the skins in this manner, " four or five 

 times over " abroad, in their immense vats. I was content with 

 *' three draws," the last made by mixing the skins of the white 

 and black Grapes together in the mash, with sugared water in the 

 proportion of 2i lbs. of sugar per gallon ; thus I gained eighteen 

 gallons more from the musts than I should have done by my 

 usual method. The result I shall keep separate as an effervescing 

 petit vin, to be drunk as a household table beverage during, I 

 hope, hot thirsty weather next summer. I like this previously- 

 8Ugared-water-for-the-must plan, and, please the Fates, I shall 

 adopt it in the future, for, besides facilitating in several particu- 

 lars soon acknowledged by the workers, the working processes 

 of the wines themselves follow out more satisfactorily and ex- 

 peditiously. 



My last season's wines both red and white, sixty gallons, pro- 

 mise to become very good, and the petit vin is quite beyond 

 my expectation. 



Since 1865, No. 235, page 259, I have sent you no annual 

 specific gravities of my Grape juices. Perhaps for the benefit 

 of your recent wine-manufacturing subscribers and Grape-eaters 

 in general, you raay think it sufficiently interesting to tabulate 

 the degrees of sweetness that the Grapes I cultivated out of 

 doors have arrived at during the fifteen years that I have fer- 

 mented their juice. I suppose the universally-liked Black Ham- 

 burghs would arrive at about the same degree of perfection in 

 ripening out of doors as the Esperione, but the latter is by far 

 the best maker of wine, and of course I do not cultivate the 

 Muscat of Alexandria as an out-of-door ripener, but merely for 

 the sake of giving a prettier flavour to the Muscadine wine. 

 About 21° is a palatable ripeness in a bunch of Grapes, so you 

 will see how the Eoyal Muscadine comes off with great credit 

 in that respect in this midland county, Oxfordshire ; but for the 

 matter of latitude I believe it would ripen equally well in the 

 College garden at Elgin, N.B. I know about twenty years ago I 

 ate excellent large ruddy-cheeked Peaches from the open walls 

 there, far better than what I could ever hope to do from the 

 open walls and soU of this garden at Woodstock. 



SACCHAROJIETEa IN PuKE JUICE. 



MALAY FOWLS. 

 What can be done to induce poulti'y committees to revise 

 their lists of prizes so as to include the despised Malays 1 The 

 fancy are much indebted to Mr. Brooke for calling attention 

 from time to time to the injustice they receive. As an old- 

 established breed of the very" earUest date, no exhibition of 

 poultry is complete without them ; besides, they always command 

 their share of notice from the visitors at shows. From my ex- 

 perience of committeemen we rely too much on the schedules of 

 other shows, and 1 beg to suggest to thosS of the fancy, if living 



In the neighbourhood of shows, to try what influence they have 

 on committees. 



1 quite agree with Mr. Brooke about cups, they are about the 

 most useless articles offered for prizes. I know a Bantam fancier 

 who has more than a dozen cups, and the only use he has for 

 them is to ornament the sideboard. Of late he won a cup, but 

 the committee gave him the choice of either a cream-jug or tho 

 cup ; the former was taken. And, by-the-by, this jug is al- 

 ways on the table at tea time, and it is natural for the better-halS 

 to think better of poultry shows iu future. Articles that can be 

 brought on the table for use are the best, as at table is a good 

 time to discuss the quality of the bird that won the victory. — 

 Hawkins. 



[The reason why committees do not offer prizes for Malays is, 

 that rarely are there a sufficient number of pens to pay the amount 

 of the prizes. A good test would be to endeavour to obtain sub- 

 scriptions for a special prize for Malays at a principal poultry 

 show. — Eds.] 



FAKENHAM AND WEST NOEFOLK POULTRY 

 SHOW. 



This Show was held in the Corn Hall at Fakenham on the 

 4th and 5th inst. The building is one of the best to examine 

 poultry in, the light from the dome-shaped roof being so weli 

 diffused. The pens (Turner's) were well disposed in double tiers, 

 and the backs covered with calico. 



In poultry the entries were very good, and for the most part 

 the birds were in good order, and very few pens were too late 

 for competition. An official feeder having been provided, the 

 birds were well attended to. Among the Dorking cocks of the 

 Dark-Grey variety there were some good birds, but others were 

 very poor. In the Any other variety class of Dorkings there 

 were only two Silver-Greys. The first-prize bird was nearly 

 perfect; the owner also took the cup. The class for hens, 

 was perhaps one of the best in tho Show, scarcely a bird being, 

 unworthy of notice. The first prize went to Silver-Grey, and 

 the second to Dark Grey. In Cochins the cup was carried 

 off by a grand old Buff cock ; and the second prize in the sam& 

 class was awarded to an excellent bird. In Cochin cocks of any 

 other kind, a capital Partridge was first, and White second. 

 Cochin hens were extremely good, and a large number of the- 

 birds received favourable notice, the first-prize Buff and second- 

 prize White being birds that may bo pronounced almost faultless. 

 iJra/tmaswere very good in both classes of Dark, the first position 

 being gained only by a little superiority in the rise of the tail. 

 There were several other birds especially noteworthy. In the 

 hens also the competition was very close, the grand marking oi 

 the first-prize hen succeeding over the greater size of the second. 

 Light Brahmas were not of high merit, though the winners- 

 were good in point of both marking and size ; but the award in. 

 hens was an unaccountable mistake, the order of merit being, 

 the reverse of the prizes. Game were good, and the comiietitiou 

 close in all classes. Brown Beds were first on the list in cocks,, 

 and a handsome close-feathered chicken stood first, and only 

 lost the cup on account of a slight fault in the sickle feathers, 

 which were a little too broad ; the second was an adult bird in 

 nice order. In Black-breasted Eeds, also, a cockerel stood in the 

 place of honour, and a capital cock was second ; both birds- 

 being sound iu colour and very good in hand. In Game cocks- 

 of any other breed, the first was a Duckwing cockerel of fine- 

 colour and style ; and the second a marble-breasted Pile of very 

 sound and hard appearance. The hens were, however, the best- 

 as a class, scarcely a faulty bird being shown. The first priza 

 and cup were won by a handsome Brown Eed hen, and the se- 

 cond prize by a capital Black-breasted Ked pullet. With few 

 exceptions the Mamhurglis were very poor, the cause being, no- 

 doubt, the mixture of the classes, which always diminishes com- 

 IJetition. In Spangled both pairs were Silver-spangled of fair 

 quality ; and in Pencilled the first were Goldeu-pencUled, the 

 second Silver-pencilled, the cock in the first-named pen being, 

 the only good bird shown. The Black Hamburghs, which were 

 allowed a class to themselves, were very much better, and the 

 cup and county prize were awarded to the first-prize pair. Spa nish 

 were a fair lot, there being little choice between the first and 

 second-prize pairs. Polands were extremely good, and the cup- 

 for the section was given to a splendid pair of Golden. The 

 second prize was awarded to very good White-crested Blacks. 

 French fowls were also pretty well represented, the first aud 

 county prize goiag to very good Creve-Cceurs, and the second to 

 Houdaus. Both the SeUing classes were large, but the sales 

 were not numerous 



Ducks were next. Aylesbury and Eouen were shown together, 

 and their quality was pretty good. In the Variety class of 

 Ducks, Black East Indians were first, and Carolinas second. 



Bantams were numerous, but as classes they were not of the 

 highest merit, though the winning pens were mostly of good 

 quality. In the Eed Game the first were old birds, nearly 

 faultless ; the second very good, but not nearly so short or close- 

 feathered; while several other pens were noticablo for their 



