14 



The Grape Culturist. 



well they may suit the notions of 

 honor "Dr. Hyde may have. The fact 

 is, we have never seen bunches of the 

 Salem Avhieh at all compared with the 

 illustrations of it sent out by its dis- 

 seminators, )}or (Jo we expect we ever 

 tvill. 



It is not the first time, however, that 

 the Doctor resorts to such practices. 

 While agent for Dr. C. W. Grant, for 

 the sale of his gi-apes, he praised the 

 lona and Eumelan in unmeasured 

 terms, and Dr. Grant took good care 

 to have his letters disseminated. His 

 expressions in regard to the Eumelan 

 were about as follows: The vines had 

 been on the way for two weeks, before 

 they arrived opposite Portland. It 

 took then two weeks more to make the 

 journey from the Pacific railroad to 



Portland, a distance of sny four miles, 

 and after all these "adventures by 

 flood and field," they were planted by 

 the worthy (?) Doctor, late in the sea- 

 son, and then made the astonishing- 

 growth of thirt}^ well-ripened eyes of 

 wood, which, of course, was abundant 

 proof of the inherent health and mira- 

 culous vitality of that extraordinary 

 grape. Now, the truth about that 

 wonderful vine is, that our friend Mil- 

 ler saw it at Dr. Hyde's in the begin- 

 ning of September. It had then lost 

 all its leaves, and had made a growth 

 of about two feet. 



Comments are unnecessary. We 

 leave it to our readers how far the}' 

 will place reliance in the statements of 

 this gentleman (?) in future. 



THE CHEMISTRY OF W^I^s^E. 



BY CHAS. H. FRINGS. 



We come now to the nitrogenous sub- 

 stances contained in the must, and the 

 changes to which they are subjected 

 during fermentation. These substances 

 have been called by a general term, glu- 

 ten, and although the chemist makes a 

 difference, this is all sufficient for prac- 

 tical purposes. 



Without the presence of gluten, in 

 the must, there could be no develop- 

 ment of lees. It is therefore a ver}^ 

 necessary ingredient of 7nust ; but in 

 ivine it is, not alone superfluous, but 

 even injurious. As long as the wine 

 contains gluten, it is subject to contin- 

 ual changes, which often are very inju- 

 rious, even ruinous. 



Both substances, gluten anil tannin, 

 if contained in the wine, continually 

 strive to unite, (by which process they 

 become insoluble), and then form a de- 

 posit in the lees. This process, which 

 is very beneficial to white wine, is in sa 

 far injurious to red wines, as it discol- 

 ors them. 



If, therefore, a fermenting fluid con- 

 tains more gluten than is necessary for 

 a rapid and thorough fermentation, it is 

 injurious. It is, however, an established 

 fact, that all grapes grown on rich, vig- 

 orous soil, contain an excess of nitro- 

 geneous substances, which, ho^vever 

 nourishing they may be, should not be 

 in icine, and as long as it contains them 



