DOMESTIC WINES. 155 



BLACKBERRY WINE. 



Gather ripe blackberries, and immediately crush them and 

 press out the juice or strain it ofif through a cloth. As black- 

 berries contain comparatively little acid, no water should be 

 added. To every gallon of pure juice add three pounds and a 

 half of the best refined sugar, and put the mixture in jugs or 

 jars, filling them completely full. Place them in a proper tem- 

 perature for fermentation. After a couple of weeks pour off 

 the clear liquid, cleanse the jugs and return it, adding to each 

 gallon one pint of the best French brandy or bourbon whiskey. 

 This is the best method of making blackberry wine, to use either 

 as a most delicious cordial or for medical purposes. Thus 

 prepared, it is a very valuable remedy in many ailments. 



The following recipes I have found to be very reliable reme- 

 dies for the diseases named : — 



For chronic diarrhoea : blackberry wine, one pint ; pulverized 

 gum kino, half an ounce ; tincture of opium, one-half ounce. 

 Let the mixture stand one week, shaking it often. Dose for an 

 adult, one dessert spoonful two or three times a day. For gen- 

 eral debility and chronic weakness : blackberry wine, one pint ; 

 carbonate of iron, one ounce. Dose, one tablespoonful three 

 times a day before meals. Blackberry wine, with Peruvian 

 bark and quinine, is also a sure and safe remedy for fever and 

 ague. On the whole, it is one of the most valuable of our native 

 wines. 



HOW TO MAKE CURRANT WINE. 



Take the best and ripest red currants, any quantity. Free 

 them entirely from stems and leaves. Crush them, and strain 

 off the juice through a thick linen cloth. Currant juice con- 

 tains a large amount of acid, and it is necessary to dilute largely 

 with water. To every quart of pure juice add two quarts of 

 pure water. To every gallon of this mixture add four pounds 

 of the best crushed white sugar. Let it be fermented three 

 weeks in jugs, jars or clean casks, &c., and return it. Partially 

 close the receptacles, but not so close as to hinder fermentation. 

 Let the wine stand two months longer, and then bottle it and 

 hermetically seal over the bottles, driving the corks very firmly 

 before scaling. Put the bottles into a dry cellar. This wine 

 will keep any length of time and improve by age. In convales- 



