The Grape Exhibition and Test at Hammondsport, N. Y. 



331 



grapes, twenty acres, not only ripened 

 well, but the 3'ield of must was large, 

 and the quality much superior to the 

 average of seasons. Even the Ca- 

 tawba, a grape that rarely gets ripe 

 there, is this year fully ripened. 



That grapes can bo grown and wine 

 made from them in Canada has been 

 full}'' demonstrated at Clair House, 

 and with the large outlay incurred 

 and appliances put up, we may ex- 

 pect that an article of first rate excel- 

 lence will be produced there. An ex- 

 periment made of stripping the grapes 

 from the stalks previous to being 

 pressed, showed that a much finer. 



richer, and more highly colored must 

 could be obtained than under the 

 usual process of pressing grapes and 

 stalks together. As only the best 

 and cleanest grapes are used for wine 

 making, the must from the others be- 

 ing distilled into brandy, there ought 

 to be wines of the highest quality 

 of excellence obtained. The Clinton 

 grape is the one mostly grown, with 

 some Joncords, Delawares, Isabellas, 

 and Catawbas, but other kinds are 

 being used as fast as the vines come 

 into bearing, and another year or two 

 will test the merits of some of the 

 new sorts for wine makina;. J. M. 



From the Journal of Horticulture. 



THE GRAPE EXHIBITION AND TEST AT HAMMONDSPORT, N. Y. 



Agreeably to the circular issued by the 

 Pleasant Valley Wine Co., a meeting, 

 numerously attended by grape growers 

 and vintners from different parts of the 

 country, was held at Hammondsport on 

 the 12th of October. The object of the 

 meeting was to test the wine-making 

 qualities of the many different varieties 

 of grapes now grown in our country. 

 Such a test was thought especially de- 

 sirable in this remarkable season, which 

 will go down in history as by far the 

 most favorable to the grape of any ever 

 yet known. The varieties presented 

 for examination were numerous, em- 

 bracing almost all those of any repute 

 as wine grapes ; and the specimens, in 

 many instances, were of superior char- 

 acter — such, for instance, as the lona, 

 weighing a pound and two ounces to the 

 bunch. 



A special committee to examine the 



grapes was appointed, consisting of 

 Hon. Marshall P. Wilder, for New Eng- 

 land, Chairman ; Hon. John Stanton 

 Gould, of New York, Secretary ; Dr. 

 John A. Waider, of Ohio, Chemist; 

 Charles Downing, and Jas. H. Ricketts. 



The first day was devoted entirely to 

 the test b}^ the saccharometer, the sec- 

 ond to the acidometer — the former 

 showing the quantity of sugar, and tihe 

 latter the acid contained in the fresh 

 juice. We give below the result of the 

 saccharometer test of some of the 

 varieties, and where one test of the 

 same variety was made, the result given 

 is the highest obtained. 



Catawba, 96 ; Isabella, 84 ; Diana, 

 102; Delaware, lloi; Walter, 105; 

 Raritan, 112; Eumelan, 103; Putnam 

 (black), 100 ; Clinton Seedling (white), 

 86^; Norton's Virginia, 98; Clinton, 

 ! 97 ; Concord, 80 ; Theodosia (a new 



