162 



The Grape Culturist. 



IMPEOYEMENT OF WINES BY ELECTRICITY 



This accidental discovery is a good 

 deal discussed now in Eiii'opean pa- 

 pers. Its advocates claim for it, that 

 new wine can be so suddenly ripened 

 by it, as to remain perfectly clear and 

 still, and equal to a wine a year old. 

 Thus new wine can bo made ready for 

 sale at once; the work of a whole 

 years attendance, and the unavoida- 

 ble waste attendant upon racking is 

 saved, etc. 



It has been calculated that it would 

 save to Franco alone, the annual crop 

 of which is 60,000,000 to 70,000,000 of 

 hectolitres, of w^hich the loss by evap- 



oration, etc., is estimated at about 10 

 francs per hectolitre, the enormous 

 loss of 600,000,000 to 700,000,000 

 francs annually. It is also contended 

 that the wine has a finer taste, and 

 keeps better than that treated in the 

 usual manner. 



Its opponents contend, that the 

 wine treated thus, is much inferior in 

 qualitj", and that the process is diffi- 

 cult of application. 



We do not know anything practi- 

 cally about the process, but would 

 like to have the subject discussed in 

 our pages. Editor. 



THE CO:a^^ING MAN WILL DPJNK WINE ; OR, COMMON SENSE vs. 



PROHIBITIYE LAWS. 



Our country being without a doubt 

 a free countr}-, it should not be sur- 

 prising that in it the most absurd 

 ideaS; the wildest theories, find suf- 

 ficient encouragement to expand and 

 grow, until the good common sense 

 of the people allows them to die a 

 natural death. To this unlimited 

 freedom of action must be attributed 

 the plainly demonstrable fact that of 

 all countries on the face of this small 

 sublunar revolving base-ball, ours 

 stands pre-eminentl}' at the head of 

 those most earnestlj', perversely and 

 gloriously humbugged. 



The fantastical idea of total absti- 

 nence, whilst one of the most absurd, 

 has also proven one of the longest 

 lived of our many queer notions to 

 improve mankind, and it is to this 

 day one of the most difficult to got 

 rid of It seems as if the o;reater the 



humbug, the more stubborn the love 

 for it, yet I was little prepared to 

 hear that the grape men of Ohio had 

 caught the infection and succumbed 

 to the direful effects of this fitful epi- 

 demic. I have not seen, but have 

 heard of their wall — requiescat in pace! 

 — and of your strictures thereon, 

 with the generous offer of the col- 

 umns of the (iRAPE Culturist for a 

 quiet and decorous discussion of the 

 subject, and great were my rejoicings ! 

 In the simplicity of my heart I took 

 it for granted that the many friends 

 of libert}" and freedom, the champions 

 of the natural rights of man, would 

 at once respond to your courteous 

 invitation, and 1 waited patiently for 

 the irrefutable effusions of some of 

 the ponderous minds whom a kind 

 Providence permits to linger in our 

 midst, for the common good, on both 



