THE GSAPE. 23 



the heat of the sun more readily, they are generally 

 ripe ten or twelve days earlier than the white, so that 

 to avoid the possibility of having a bad, sour wine, it 

 is necessary, at the vintage, to pick the purple grapes 

 before the white ones. It was formerly supposed 

 that, by transplantation into different districts, the 

 excellence of the better kinds of vine would be pre- 

 served ; and with respect to some very richly scented 

 sorts, the opinion has, within certain limitations, been 

 justified. If, however, the vine is removed from a 

 warmer to a colder region, the saccharine contents, as 

 a general rule, diminish, and increase, if it is brought 

 from a colder to a warmer district. Temperature and 

 soil together determine, to a very great extent, the 

 kind of grape. To no other cause can the perpetua- 

 tion of the innumerable varieties be ascribed. Other 

 appearances, however, in the character of the wine 

 itself, teach us, that the soil may be exhausted just as 

 much by the vine as by any other plant. There are 

 districts in France where very famous wines were 

 formerly made, and where only very inferior kinds 

 can now be produced. 



For example, the wines of Orleans are now con- 

 sidered very inferior to those of Burgundy, whereas 

 formerly the reverse was the case. It may be said 

 the vine is an alkaline plant ; give it potash enough, 

 and the wine will be better. But this is not the case. 

 Orleans yields wine enough a proof that there is 

 sufficient potash in the ground, and yet the wine is no 

 longer so good as formerly. 



