196 AMERICAN GRAPE CULTURE. 



that they are not wine grapes, if we know what 

 wine is. The elements which make real and 

 durable wine are not combined in any one of 

 them in such degree and proportion as to 

 render the manufacture of true and durable 

 wine possible. Sparkling wines are made from 

 them, and also from cider ; but this does not 

 prove much. The majority of them have tough, 

 fibrous centers, that never ripen, and supply 

 an element incompatible with the manufacture 

 of good wine, the presence of which prevents 

 the perfection of the process. Others only 

 become tender at the center by the breaking 

 down of the mass by incipient decay, and not 

 by ripening; and maturity acquired in this 

 way is not calculated to enhance the goodness 

 of any wine. The very few that do ripen make 

 a feeble, flat wine, and all of them soon run to 

 vinegar. These serious defects are in many 

 cases met and overcome by the addition of 

 sugar, alcohol, and other adulterations, which 

 at once place the resulting liquor outside of 

 our conception and definition of wine. All 

 attempts to make wine from such grapes must 

 necessarily end in failure. We would here 

 make a suggestion. There is always a good 

 market for vinegar : a fine article will com- 



