BRIGHT ON GRAPE CULTURE. 87 



Tartaric Acid we have founds in a free state, the 

 most useful of all the special manures for the grape. 

 The fact that the lees of wine, or grape juice, deposits 

 large quantities of tartaric acid, or hi-tartrate of potash, 

 (cream of tartar,) has long been known to the world, and 

 jet grape growers have for centuries been blind to the 

 importance of this substance in grape culture. Not till 

 after we had experimented with the use of tartaric acid, 

 and tartrate of potash, could we feel certain that we had 

 the culture and fruiting of the grape perfectly under 

 our control. Sometimes we succeeded, and sometimes 

 we failed, nor could we discover the cause. One day, 

 in reading some scientific work, our attention was called 

 to the fact, that nearly all the cream of tartar of com- 

 merce, was obtained from the lees of wine. New light 

 at once broke into our mind. Here, it was evident, was 

 an important acid, necessary to the perfection of the 

 grape, entirely overlooked. We commenced experi- 

 menting at once, with tartaric acid, adding it to our 

 compost heaps and using it in a variety of ways and a 

 variety of combinations. At last we hit upon the right 

 union with potash and other substances, and we have 

 never since been at loss to fruit a healthy vine as heavily 

 as it could bear. In fact, our vines fruited too heavily, 

 and we immediately commenced the dwarfing system, 

 and the growing of larger bunches of finer quality, 

 which is the truest and highest point of the art. 



Our G-rape Fertilizer is an ammoniated compound of 

 phosphate and tartrate of potash and lime, or more pr(?- 



