FERMENTED LIQUORS. 31 



longed to the Dutch, it produced only a small quantity of 

 rich Cape wine ; but now a variety of different vines are 

 cultivated there with'great success, and the Cape Madeira 

 will, perhaps, ultimately rival that of the Atlantic island. 



The height at which the vine can be cultivated, from 

 the level of the sea, is four hundred fathoms. 



Emily. But that must vary according to the latitude t 



Mrs. B. No doubt ; this is the elevation of the most 

 northern limits of the cultivation of the vine in France. 

 There are many circumstances to be attended to, in the 

 culture of a plant of so much importance as the vine. In 

 the first place, the nature of the plant: the varieties are 

 innumerable ; there are no less than six hundred in the 

 botanical garden in Geneva ; the fruit differing either in 

 color, form, flavor, consistence, &,c. : the degree of flavor 

 of firmness and compactness of the fruit, is, in general, 

 proportioned to the heat of the climate. The flavor of the 

 muscat grape is, however, richer than that of the common 

 grape in any climate. 



Every flower of the vine contains five seeds, two or 

 three of which often fail. 



Caroline. The soil must labor hard to ripen so many 

 seeds ? 



Mrs. B. No cultivation requires greater care to re- 

 pair the exhaustion which it undergoes, and attention to 

 prevent weeds from engrossing any portion of that food 

 which is so much in request. Yet a great deal of manure 

 should not be used, for it injures the quality of the fruit, 

 though it increases the quantity. 



The grapes should be neither very close, nor very dis- 

 tant from each other in the cluster, but so far apart as to 

 leave sufficient space for each grape to attain its full growth. 

 For this purpose, the grapes of Fontainebleau, when 

 young, are thinned by the scissors. But these grapes are 

 cultivated exclusively for eating, and are sold at a price 

 which repays such an expensive mode of culture. 



1788. What is said of the vine at the Cape of-Good Hope? 1789. 

 At what height Ifrora the level of the sea may the vine be cultivated? 

 1790. How many varieties are there of the grape in the botanical garden 

 of Geneva? 1791. To what is the firmness and compactness of the 

 fruit owing? 1792. How many seeds does each flower of the vine con- 

 tain? 1793. How does the growth of the vine effect the soil? 1794. 

 What is said of grapes, as to their distance from each other? 1795. 

 How is this effected at Fontainebleau? 



