Aiq^D WINE MAKING. 217 



in the must, draw it several times througli the mouth to 

 moisten it, but allow no saliva to adhere to it. When 

 the scale ceases to descend, note the degree to which 

 it has sunk, after which, press it down with the finger a 

 few degrees further, and on its standing still again, the 

 line to which the must reaches, indicates its so-called 

 weight, expressed by degrees. The must should have a 

 temperature of 65° to 70°, be weighed in an entirely fresh 

 state, before it shows any sign of fermentation, and should 

 be free from husks ; if strained through a piece of 

 mosquito bar, or small sieve all the better. 



This instrument, which is indispensable to every one 

 who intends to make wine rationally, can now be had 

 from prominent opticians in nearly every large town. It 

 indicates the amount of sugar in the must, and its use is 

 so simple, that every one can soon become familiar with 

 it. The next step in the improvement of must was to 

 determine the amount of acids it contained, and this 

 problem has also been successfully solved by the inven- 

 tion of the Acidimeter. 



As remarked before, Twitchell's Acidimeter is the best 

 now in use, and as it is accompanied by full directions 

 for use, I need not repeat them here, further than to say 

 that to ascertain the acidity of must, it should be tested 

 when pressed, as many of our pulpy grapes contain 

 nearly all their acid in the pulp, and the instrument 

 will, therefore, not give a fair indication until fermenta- 

 tion has drawn out the acid. 



A normal must, to suit the prevailing taste here, should 

 contain about four-thousandths parts of acids, while in 

 Europe it varies from four and a half to seven-thousandths, 

 as the taste there is generally in favor of more acid 

 wines. I cannot do better here than quote from Dr. 

 Gall, who gives the following directions as a guide to 

 distinguish and determine the proportion of acids which 

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