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THE GRAPE. 



A, Door opening to the vineyard, by which the grapes are brought 

 into the wine-house. 



B. Back door of wine-house. 

 C. Front door of wine-house. 



D. Opening, through which the stems are thrown from the ma- 

 chine. 



E. Tables for picking over and assorting the fruit previous to 

 being stemmed. 



F. Stemming and crushing apparatus. 

 G. Large press, capacity of one hundred bushels. 

 H. Small press, capacity of forty bushels. 

 L. Door opening into the basement. 



Signs of Ripeness of Grapes. The stem of the grape should be 

 of a brown color. The cuticle of the berry must be clear and 

 transparent. The berries should separate easily from the sterns. 

 The seed must be of brown color. The juice must be sweet and sticky. 

 Do not cut the grapes early in the morning, with the dew on, nor 

 during rainy weather, nor shortly after rain. 



Gathering. The grapes, when fully ripe, are gathered in baskets 

 containing about one bushel, as well as in a sort of " pannier " of 

 wood, made very light and strong, and which is supported by straps, 

 or thongs of willow, on the back of the gatherer. 



Picking. This consists in removing by hand all green, shriveled 

 or decayed grapes, which are thrown into tubs or barrels and pressed 

 separately, to make a common wine or vinegar. The finest grapes 

 are carried thence to the stemming apparatus, where they undergo 

 another operation. 



Stemming. Consists in separating the berries from the stem ; it is 

 done in F (of the ground plan), by means of the apparatus of which 

 a cut is appended. This practice is now abandoned as useless and 

 injurious to the wine. 



The grapes are thrown on 

 the wire sieve Jf, which is 

 open enough to allow the ber- 

 ries to pass, but retains the 

 stems ; a little plank, P, is held 

 in an inclined position, to which 

 a back ward and forward move- 

 ment is given, so as to force 

 the berries through the sieve, 

 and remove out of the way all 

 the stems as they are stript. 



Mashing. After passing 

 through the stemming process, 

 the grapes fall into a wooden 

 mill, consisting of "two roller* 



R 



