WHEN GRAPES ARE EIPE. 239 



cord are colored two weeks or more before they 

 are ripe, while the Diana and lona are sweet, 

 but only a little colored, a couple of weeks 

 before they are ripe. Color and sweetness are 

 both important elements of ripeness; but 

 there are degrees of sweetness and color, and 

 these must attain their full degree of force and 

 depth before they can be regarded as indicat 

 ing ripeness. 



It will assist us much in understanding what 

 ripeness is if we first have some knowledge of 

 what the flesh of the grape is composed, and 

 what changes take place in it. The flesh is 

 composed chiefly of grape sugar, tartaric, tan- 

 nic, carbonic, and other acids, potash, etc. 

 These elements are contained in the juice ; the 

 juice is held in little sacs or cells composed of 

 cellular tissue, and the mass of cells are in 

 closed in the skin, and we thus have the berry. 

 The berry is increased in size by the multipli 

 cation of the cells. The changes that take 

 place as the berry proceeds to maturity are 

 vito-chemical. The fruit will be good or bad 

 as these changes are more or less perfect, and 

 it will depend chiefly for its flavor and spirit 

 upon the presence and due commingling of the 

 sugar and acid of the grape. Some varieties 



