84 ON THE ART OF MAKING WINE. 



most minute manipulations. It is intended, when a very 

 superior wine is produced in competition, to bestow a dis- 

 tinguished honorary reward, provided it shall appear that 

 the maker has fully understood, and carefully acted upon, 

 the scientific principles, the only certain guides to suc- 

 cess. 



The Council may remark, that some individuals in this 

 place have already made considerable progress in natura- 

 lizing the vine from the seeds of plants kept in the open 

 air ; and, as there is no difficulty in sowing seeds, (which 

 will vegetate though the grape be unripe,) and in watch- 

 ing when the plants thus produced yield a few grapes in 

 the open air, the seeds of which are again to be sown, pro- 

 ceeding in this way to several generations ; hopes may be 

 entertained of some varieties of the grape being obtained, 

 which will never fail to give abundant crops of tolerably 

 ripe fruit; and that in no long time, since, under proper ma- 

 nagement, the vine may be expected to shew fruit in three 

 or four years. In the mean time, the leaves (as suggested 

 by Dr Macculloch) may be tried ; but it ought to be ob- 

 served, that some shoots, from which fruit may be ex- 

 pected, should not be stript of a single leaf. Indeed, for 

 the purpose of making wine from the leaves, it would be 

 better to plant vines of any sort, and to preserve the seed- 

 lings with the greatest care. To give a pleasant colour 

 to wines, the Claret grape may be cultivated for its 

 leaves. Premiums will be given for Scottish grape wine ? 

 and a Gold Medal for the first good Scottish grape raised 

 from seeds produced in the open air in Scotland. 



