84 THE VINE JRESSETl'S MANUAL. 



will overcome the loose morality about fruit poaching. 

 Laws which follow u.p this growing tendency, would 

 certainly be useful. The following general rules arc 

 recommended in gathering grapes : 



1. Gather only in fair weather, and after the dew is 

 off the grapes. 



2. Should rain or heavy fogs occur, stop gathering. 

 It is always bad to go into vineyards while the ground 

 is too wet, and especially in the fall. Aside from the 

 injury to the quality of the wine, it can be proved, 

 that between gathering in fair or foul weather, with 

 and without the dew drops upon the grapes, there is a 

 difference of between five to ten degrees in the quality 

 of the wine. 



3. Care should be had not to injure the vines, while 

 searching for the inside grapes. 



4. Unripe grapes should, as already stated, be left 

 in the vineyard on the vines, and if there be but few, 

 or if the season will not permit their subsequent ripen- 

 ing, it is a good practice to mix them with some good 

 apples in cider making, but not to put them with the 

 good ripe grapes. 



5. .Should a few unripe berries be found on a grape- 

 bunch they must be picked out and thrown away, — or 

 should there be a few really ripe berries upon an un- 

 ripe bimch, then the ripe ones are picked out and ga- 

 thered, and the unripe bunch itself is left on the vine. 



