mi. L. GALL ON IMPROVEMENTS IN WINE-MAKING. 259 



the article produced by the grape, but in all respects alike. It is, 

 therefore, the better adapted to improve the must, as its price al- 

 ways, even at very high market value of the potatoes, ranges from 

 25 to 80 per cent, lower than common cane or beet sugar. The 

 artificial, as well as the natural grape-sugar, is, in its dry state, a 

 combination of six atoms of oxygen, six atoms of carbon, arfd five 

 of hydrogen ; while the common cane-sugar contains, in its dry 

 state, five atoms of oxygen, six of carbon, and five of hydrogen. 



As an article of merchandise, we find the artificial grape-sugar 

 in the following forms : 



1. Thick liquid, or " sirup," of various sugar contents, and 

 therefore more or less thick and transparent ; white or clear as 

 water, light yellow to brown. 



2. Consistent, but, when fresh, more or less wet, about like very 

 dry soap, from milk-white to light yellow, put up in barrels or 

 boxes, in form of lumps. 



8. In the shape of sugar-loaves, very hard, and from white to 

 yellowish color. 



4. Dry, (a) finely pulverized and snow-white, as flour-sugar, (b) 

 crumby, milk white. 



5. Crystallized sugar, an invention of the eminent chemist Mr. 

 Anton, of Prague. In this form it is principally used for the fab- 

 rication of Champagne wines. 



The relative value of the different kinds of sugar depends nat- 

 urally on their real sugar parts. In 100 pounds of water-free 

 sugar are contained of these : 



Of cane or beet sugar 90-93 lbs. 



" dry grape-sugar 89-90 " 



" consistent grape-sugar 80-84 " 



" wet (fresh) " 75-80 " 



Considering the sinq:>, this may be casilj' and accurately de- 

 termined by the saccharometer of Balling. The saccharometer 

 is a balance-scale (similar to the must-scale) that indicates by its 

 more or less deep sinking into solutions of pure sugar how many 

 parts of sugar such a solution contains. For instance, if it sinks 

 in a sirup warmed to 14° Eeaumur down to the degree-line of 75, 

 it contains in 100 pounds 75 pounds of pure sugar. 



In order to examine in this manner hard grape-sugar, it is nec- 

 essary to dissolve 10 ounces of it in 90 ounces of hot water, to 

 weigh the same over again, and add so many ounces of water as 

 are wanting to make up the 100 ounces ; and now the saccharom- 

 eter has to be sunk into the solution. Had 10 ounces of per- 

 fectly dry sugar been dissolved in 90 ounces of distilled water, the 

 instrument would sink down to the tenth degree-mark ; i. e., it 

 would mark 10 degrees of sugar parts. If it shows, however, but 

 8 degrees, it becomes evident that the 10 ounces of hard but still 

 wet sugar held only 8 (8173-) ounces of dry, or the examined grape- 

 sugar was composed of 82 per cent, sugar and 18 per cent, water. 



