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treatment. Though a particular kind of Grape is certainly required as 

 the base of each sort of wine, yet it must be remembered that results are 

 often materially modified by climates, soils, seasons, degree of ripeness 

 when fruit is gathered, and after treatment. The same kind of Grape 

 will, under widely different conditions, produce wine that will vary 

 greatly in quality. In this respect, however, some varieties differ to a 

 much larger extent than others. Lateness in starting into growth and 

 ripening its fruit is also a matter that must be considered in choosing a 

 variety for the more backward districts, though in warmer regions this is 

 a matter of no great importance. As regards climate, the varieties chosen 

 for the cooler and moister regions should be such as produce Claret and 

 other light dinner wines of a similar class to those made in the French 

 districts of Bordeaux, .Burgundy, and Champagne. On the other hand, 

 in the inland or more northern districts, where great heat prevails with a 

 dry atmosphere, strong wines similar to the Port and Sherry of the South 

 of Europe can be produced. Then again in some localities there is a 

 sort of intermediate climate where different classes of wine can be 

 produced in perfection. As regards the influence of soils upon the 

 quality of wines, it is a well-known fact that many of the choicest kinds 

 in Europe are the products of poor land that is unfit for general 

 cultivation. Some of the best vineyards of Burgundy consist of calcareous 

 soil containing over eighty per cent, of insoluble matter. Bordeaux has 

 vineyards composed of from eighty-five to ninety per cent, of pebbles 

 and sand. In the Hermitage district the soil is a decomposed granite 

 containing over seventy-five per cent, of insoluble mat.ter. In the 

 Champagne district the best wines are obtained from chalky soils 

 containing about eighty per cent, of carbonate of lime. The famous 

 wines of Madeira are obtained from volcanic soil containing a very large 

 percentage of sand and gravel. Then again in the Gironde district in 

 France good wines are produced from low-lying flat land, but their 

 excellence is said to be due to the large proportion of oxide of iron 

 contained in the soil. As a matter of course, Grape Vines grown in poor 

 soils yield much smaller crops than the same kinds growing in better 

 land, but the law return usually gives wine of the highest quality. 

 There is certainly some subtto influence in these poor soils to cause a 

 higher quality in the wine, though the yield may be small. The writer is 

 of opinion that lists of varieties said to be better adapted for particular 

 localities, soils, and other local conditions are more likely to mislead than 

 benefit the cultivator, as from the lack of precise information there are no 

 data upon which absolute conclusions can be based. Some kinds are 

 certainly more cosmopolitan in their requirements than others, but the 

 main object of the cultivator should be to produce Grapes suitable for 

 the wines best adapted for his locality and purposes. A list of varieties 

 at the end of this article will afford sufficient information to enable 

 growers to make suitable selections. 



In planting for Raisins and Currants, the selection of Grapes is more 

 limited, as but a comparatively few varieties are suitable. The kinds 

 suitable for drying are those that have sweet fleshy berries, and belong 

 to the Muscat section. It may not be out of place to mention that the 



