Editor's Letter Box. 



199 



there is any preference between oak 

 and poplar. Yours truly, 



Edward T. ITipple. 

 [We are sorry for your misfortune, 

 also that your letter came too latn for 

 our June No. We trust your vmea will 

 recover, and produce a fair crop yet, 

 from the secondary buds. 



We use only white oak for casks, and 

 do not think poplar will do, as it swells 

 and shrinks too much. We do not 

 even like it for vats on that account, 

 and prefer clear white pine, which, 

 when without knot,, contains very little 

 resin. — Editor. ] 



Friend Husmann : 



Last winter when on a visit to 

 Hermann, I accompanied a friend, to 

 see Mr. Langdorfer, the originator of 

 the Hermann Grape. There had the 

 pleasure of tasting wine of that vari- 

 ety, as also of the 3Iartha and other 

 kinds. 



He has great faith in the Martha 5 

 "so have I," as also in his seedling, 

 the Hermann. The "wine of the lat- 

 ter was still sweet, showing to my 

 notion, that so heavy a must as that 

 yielded last fall (115^) I think needs 

 a higher temperature to ripen than 

 his Grotto cellar will allow of, when 

 the cool weather comes on. The 

 Martha and other vines were more 

 advanced, and all promised well. 



When the Hermann must has a fair 

 treatment, I am satisfied it will make 

 one of our best wines, while the vine 

 and grape is all that could be wished 

 for in point of health and vigor. 

 When I look at the vine it reminds 

 me of a handsome ivell dressed lady, 

 just stepped oui; of the dressing room. 



While there I also witnessed the 

 clearing of wine by forcing through 

 paper pulp. The wine was quite 

 C'oudy when put in, but came out clear. 

 Now a question arose in my mind, 

 which some of those who have had 

 experience will please answer, whether 



this wine will keep as well as though 

 it had clarified itself by time, and in 

 the oi'dinary course, or whether there 

 still remain ingredients therein to 

 cause trouble in keej^ing it afterwards. 

 A reply to this query will oblige. 

 Yours truly, Samuel Miller. 



Bluffton, Mo., June .% 1870. 



[We can give our friend our ideas 

 about mechanical clarification of wines 

 by filtering, etc. We think if the wine 

 still contains unfermented sugar, fil- 

 tering will clarify it for the time 

 being, but it will be subject to re- 

 newed fermentation again, as the par- 

 ticles of lees are so fine that they 

 remain suspended in the wine, even 

 when it 'loohs quite clear and bright. 

 If wine is thoroughly fermented it 

 will fine naturally, and filtering be- 

 comes unnecessary. If not, filtering 

 will only clarity it for the time being, 

 and it Avill become cloudy again. 



We fully agree with friend ^Miller 

 about the value of the Hermann. We 

 have no grape in our whole collection, 

 comprising some TOO varieties, which 

 we value more highly, which we think 

 more productive and healthy, or pro- 

 ducing a better wine. We speak ad- 

 visedly, having watched the grape 

 since its origin, and are willing to 

 stake our reputation on it as a icine 

 grajye, for our State at least. — Editor.] 



