456 AMERICAN GRAPE CULTURE. 



weak or strong must, or no must at all ; noth 

 ing more, notwithstanding all the mystery that 

 has been attempted to be thrown around the 

 subject. In other words, he has told us how to 

 make forty gallons of wine out of four, and 

 even how to make forty gallons of wine out of 

 no wine at all ; but in all this he has told us 

 nothing new. He and his confreres have re 

 duced the formulas to a tabular form, and pub 

 lished them to the world, and to that extent 

 have done what they could to make fraud an 

 exact art ; for to publish the formulas is only to 

 invite to their general practice. It is a pity that 

 the talents of these men could not have been 

 devoted to a nobler purpose. If we are told 

 that in bad seasons the vintage would be most 

 ly lost if some such practice were not resorted 

 to, we reply that this need not be so ; and even 

 if it were, it is better that a few men should 

 suffer a temporary loss than that many should 

 lose their manhood, and even their souls. Some 

 reader may expect to find these formulas here, 

 but he will be disappointed. Their publication 

 has been productive of nothing but evil, and 

 we do not mean to multiply it. 



But it is said that some of our native 

 grapes will not make wine without sugar. 



