142 



SYRUP, BROWN OR WHITE SUGAR, FROM GRAPES. 



then laying the sward which is pared off, 

 at the bottom of the hole with the grass 

 upwards and setting the tree upon it, 

 placing the roots straight and regular as 

 in their natural growth, upon which more 

 sward is to be laid with the grass down- 

 wards, and the hole filled up with earth. 

 On clay soils it is stated to be impro- 

 per to go below the good mould, though 

 it be ever so shallow, and to be better to 

 raise earth a foot or two above the ground 

 upon the roots of the new planted trees, 

 than to go beneath the surface of the clay; 

 and in a few years the extra expense will 

 be amply compensated by the flourishing 

 state and healthy appearance of the trees. 



SYRUP, BROWN, OR WHITE SUGAR FROM GRAPES. 

 By M. FocacE. 



The syrup that is prepared from juice 

 of grapes, properly saturated, and con- 

 centrated to 30° Baume's hyd. keeps for 

 any length of time, and in about two 

 months, three-quarters of it is cr3'Stallized 

 in spherical crystals, which are the size 

 of millet seed, if the vessel has not been 

 moved; otherwise they are smaller. 



If the syrup is evaporated on a naked 

 fire, it acquires a reddish-browii color, 

 which spoils it for certain purposes; if a 

 vapor bath is used, the syrup is finch- 

 yellow, and yields 75 per cent, of crystals 

 of the same color, which may be refined 

 to a white color. The addition of brandy, 

 or powder of sugar, to hasten the produc- 

 tion of these crystals, has no efiect. The 

 white sugar made from grapes has not 

 the sandy hardness of cane sugar; it is 

 pulverulent and soft to the touch, and its 

 taste is also sweeter than that of the syrup 

 and crystals used together. 



It is very easy to construct a vapor 

 bath by making a bank of rubbish about 

 three feet high, kept in by hurdles sup- 

 ported by stakes; the top of the rubbish 

 should be covered with powdered char- 

 coal, upon which a tinned copper, or plate 

 tin pan S or 10 feet long, 3 feet 8 inches 

 wide, and 6 inches deep, must set, the 

 sides being supported by 4 planks; a flat 

 steam pipe IS inches wide from an ad- 

 jacent boiler is to be introduced into the 

 pan by one of its ends, and after running 

 round it to be carried out again with a 

 sufficient inclination to let the condensed 



water run again into the boiler, to which 



a common still head is to be adapted. 

 For small families it is sufficient to place 

 a shallow pan 3 feet wide upon a com- 

 mon boiler, at a distance just sufficient to 

 let the steam escape under it. 



To make about 100 or 125 lbs. of syrup 

 400 of the juice of grapes must be pro- 

 cured, 30 or 40 quarts of which are to be 

 heated in 2 parcels, until the hand cannot 

 be kept in it, and then poured into the 

 remainder, after which is to be added 40 

 quarts of powdered chalk, or wood ashes, 

 previously sifted, and washed three times 

 with boiling water. The wood ashes are 

 to be preferred, as they do not give a bad 

 taste to the syrup, and as chalk contains' 

 particles of clay that fall down very 

 slowly, it is requisite to filtrate the syrup 

 through a flannel when that earth is used. 

 The mixture is to be stirred, and then I 

 left to settle for a couple of hours. A 

 spoonful of the clear liquid is then poured 

 into a cup of milk which is made to boil; 

 if the milk is turned, 2 or 3 quarts more 

 chalk are to be added, and after some 

 time the syrup is again tried with milk. 

 When the syrup by these additions of 

 chalk will no longer turn milk on being 

 boiled therewith, it is ready to be eva- 

 porated. The trial of the juice with 

 milk is better than to use litmus paper, | 

 for when the paper is not altered in color, ! 

 there may still be left sufficient acid in 

 the liquor to curdle milk. The saturated 

 juice after being left till the next day to 

 settle is to be drawn off', and the sediment 

 drained upon a fine cloth, after which a 

 pail of hot water should be poured in 

 three separate parcels upon the sediment, 

 in order to separate all the sugar it con- 

 tains. If the color of the syrup is not 

 esteemed of any consequence, it may be 

 evaporated in a common boiler, ob- 

 serving to skim it well, until a drop 

 let fail upon a cold plate grows suf- 

 ficiently solid on cooling not to run upon 

 the plate when the latter is inclined, or 

 a hydrometer may be used. The syrup 

 must then be poured into pots or casks, 

 and covered up. When the color of the 

 syrup is of consequence, the pressed juice 

 must not be received in vessels that have 

 been used for making wine, as the re- 

 mains would color the juice, which mu^t 



