202 THE ART OP WINE MAKING. 



of the bunch shows a russet brown, the bunch 

 hangs and does not maintain an upright position, 

 as when immature. The grape is soft and trans- 

 parent; the skin loose and thin. The bunches 

 of grapes are easily detached ; flavour sweet and 

 viscous. The seed firm, brown, but not gluti- 

 nous. When such are the indications, the fruit 

 is in the proper state forgathering, but care must 

 be taken that the work is judiciously executed, 

 and under a combination, if possible, of advan- 

 tageous circumstances. It must by no means 

 be indiscriminately performed, or without a 

 due regard to the following attendant circum- 

 stances. 



The yigneron should select a dry day for the 

 work, and by all means retard the gathering 

 until the sun shall have dissipated the mist, inci- 

 dent to the mornings of our autumnal season, and 

 completely dried the fruit of the dews of the 

 nightfall. The atmosphere should also be warm 

 and dry. The workmen to whom this business 

 is confided, should be directed by an overseer, 

 intelligent, firm, and rather severe in exacting 

 of the labourer an honest fulfilment of duty, 

 to require that the stems should be cut short, 

 and to put on one side the branches which 

 are ripest and soundest, and detach from them 

 such grapes as have begun to decay, or are much 

 dried. 



The former cannot, fail to impart to the wine 

 a disagreeable flavour, and the latter are seriously 

 injurious to the operations of the must. Great 

 care will be necessary that the labourers be not 

 allowed to eat in the vineyard, as a serious in- 



