186 AMERICAN GRAPE CULTURE. 



even richer than the Delaware in the peculiar 

 sugar and acid of the grape ; but, unlike the 

 Delaware, it has no fiber or unripeness to min 

 gle with the must, and hence it makes a perfect 

 and enduring wine. The must of the Dela 

 ware has been recorded at 105 ; it will prob 

 ably go a little higher than that. We have 

 seen lona register 130, the must being from 

 grapes that had begun to shrivel. The must, 

 indeed, is so rich in vinous properties, that we 

 and others have made good wine from it in 

 pint bottles, in a warm room, without the 

 least disposition to acetous or destructive fer 

 mentation. 



We present this brief but somewhat analyti 

 cal comparison of OUF two best wine grapes, 

 for the purpose of giving the beginner some 

 useful ideas in regard to those nice shades of 

 difference in the qualities of grapes, which not 

 only impress a distinctive character upon them, 

 but graduate their value for wine or the table. 

 It is the only way in which we can acquire a 

 real knowledge of the comparative excellences 

 and defects of grapes, and form a true estimate 

 of their value ; and we have often wondered 

 that it has been so entirely overlooked, more 

 especially since it is a chief element in those 



