4T4 GENERAL DIRECTIONS Partlll. 



remain there till the fprin^, when, on his carrying it into a warmer 

 place, it fermented, and became excellent cyder. Mr, Boyle relates 

 a parallel inllance, in his Hrftsry of Cold. 



In feme countries, they make it a generil rule to gather their 

 grapes \\^hen dry; and in others they as carefully gather them only 

 when they are wet with dew. In both, the circumftances of the 

 feafons Ihould, perhaps, vary this cuftom. Thus, when a warm 

 kindly feafon has brought the grapes to a due maturity, fuch juice 

 wants no addition: if a dry feafon has perhaps thickened their juice 

 too much, the dew may remedy that defeft : and if a cold or rainy 

 feafon has prevented their ripening thoroughly, and they flill con- 

 tinue in an acid watery ftate, furely the warmeft and dryeft hours 

 fliould be chofen for gathering them. 



We cannot here help lamenting the want of experiments perform- 

 ed with accuracy andjudgment on this fubjed:. 



When the grapes are to be gatliered, a fufficient number of la- 

 bourers fhould go into the vineyard, each provided with a ban<:et and 

 knife, and cut, as clofe as poflible to the fruit, thofe bunches only 

 which appear ripefl and moft open; leaving for a future cuttino- 

 fuch as are green, or clofe: for clofe bunches never ripen thorough- 

 ly. All rotten or burften grapes, whether occafioned by over-ripe- 

 nefs or any other accident, fliouId alfo be avoided. The bunches 

 thus gathered fliould be laid gently in the baflcets, without bruifmg 

 or preffing them. The more expeditioufly they are gathered, the 

 finer will be the colour of the wine, and the fooner they are preiTed, 

 the better will its quality be. 



For white wine, the grapes fliould be put immediately in the 

 prefs, which, being let down upon them, will, by its weight alone, 

 force out the liquor plentifully. This firfl: running is efl:eemed the 

 mofl delicate. When the liquor ceafes to run, the prefs is raifed, 

 and the cakes of grapes round its fides are pared off with an iron 

 fliovel made purpofely for that ufe, and thrown up again, together 

 with the loofe fcattered grapes. The prefs is then let down again 

 on them, and fcrewed with great force, which occafions a fecond 

 running more plentiful than the firfl:, and little inferior to it in fla- 

 vour or colour ; but preferable in this, that it has a flironger body, 

 and will keep a confiderable time longer. This operation is repeat- 

 ed, whilfl: any juice remains in the grapes. 



To make red wine, after the red grapes are gathered, In doing 

 of which the fame caution fliould be obferved as before, in regard 



to 



