254 On making' Wme. 



cutting, as soon as a peach from the stone; as to graft- 

 ing I never tried it till the last year; ha-ring a vine in my 

 garden producing grapes not to my liking, I grafted it 

 with the " Powell"* grape, and instead of claying, plais- 

 tered it with a composition of bee's wax, talloAv and ro- 

 sin; two scions grew and produced six bunches of 

 grapes the same summer, some of the branches grew 

 more than 20 feet in length, and the two scions have in 

 one summer formed a top sufficient, if but reasonably 

 fuli to produce a bushel of fruit. 



The method I have found best for making wine from 

 grapes, is to let them hang on the vines till fully ripe, 

 then to gather them, when dry, throw away rotten ones 

 if any, open the cider mill so as not to mash the stems 

 or seeds, put the pummice (or mashed grapes) on some 

 clean long straw, laid on the cider press floor, lap it in 

 the straw, press it well, then take off the pummice, add 

 some water, and after it has soaked a while press as be- 

 fore : the latter will make as good wine by adding sugar 

 as is commonly done in the countr}^ but I prefer mak- 

 ing it of the juice without water. 



The last autumn I tried several ways of making 

 wme : one cask of 34 gallons that first run from the 

 press, I set to ferment in its then state, expecting to 

 make that without sugar; another of the same size 

 had 17 pounds white Havanna sugar added, the re- 

 mainder was mixed with the second pressing, and had 

 the same proportion of sugar ; the first ceased ferment- 



[* This is also called the " Bland" grape, from the gentle- 

 man v/ho brought it from Virginia, and gave it to Mr. Pow- 

 ell of Philadelpliia.l 



