MANUFACTURE OF NATIVE WINE. 109 



from one dollar to one dollar twenty-five cents per gallon. 

 They add three pounds of sugar to the gallon, and, strange to 

 tell, make a Hock wine (which is a hard, dry wine), and sell 

 it for four dollars per gallon. 



Injurious as we found the frost, the rot has been more de- 

 structive. But the experience of this year will confirm the 

 opinion, that the rot is occasioned by a stiff subsoil of clay, 

 through which the water cannot pass freely. In our sandy 

 soils there has been but little rot ; and in many, none. On 

 our rich, deep-soiled bottoms, the rot has been less than on 

 our side hills. The first error we commit, is gathering our 

 grapes too soon, and before the saccharine principle is fully de- 

 veloped. Last season, some of the must of Mr. Rehfuss, 

 weighed 101, while that from some other vineyards weighed 

 from sixty-five to eighty only. The best average about nine- 

 ty-five. In Germany, superintendents have this subject in 

 charge, in the several districts, and they name the day on 

 which the vintage is to commence. I presume this is to pre- 

 vent ignorant vine-dressers from gathering their grapes too 

 soon, as they are anxious to save a loss in quantity. This 

 creates as great an evil as it is intended to remedy. All vine- 

 yards do not mature their fruit at the same time ; and often, 

 in the same neighborhood, one vineyard will mature its fruit 

 a week earlier than another. The ripest bunches only should 

 be picked at the first vintage ; and all rotten, defective, and 

 green grapes, carefully picked out. The grapes should not 

 be gathered till the dew is off. A second picking should be 

 made some eight or ten days later, when, with great care in 

 picking out rotten, decayed, and green berries, wine equal to 

 the first may be made. The rejected grapes from both pick- 

 ings, will make a common wine, but will be improved by add- 

 ing eight or ten ounces of sugar to the gallon of must. 



The press and casks should be clean. Even fresh brandy 

 and Madeira wine-casks should be carefully cleansed, to take 

 out all the taste of those liquors ; the casks placed in a cool 



