194 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARDENER. 



1871 



for about J^ to 1 hour, the air impelled into the 

 must by a pump, blower, &c., through a pipe 

 mouth piece or perforated bottom in the tank or 

 cask. Gentle air treatment is employed periodi- 

 cally during fermentation, to accelerate and com- 

 plete the same, which is conducted at a temperature 

 of 70 ° at the commencement, rising to 80 or more 

 as the fermentation increases, and can thus be 

 finished in from 5 to 14 days. The wine is freed by 

 this treatment from the albumenous parts (the cause 

 of after fermentation and wine disease) and after 

 clarification, which generally takes place very rap- 

 idly, the wine is equ.al in stability and maturity to 

 wine treated in the usual way and stored for years ; 

 it is of ripe and fine taste and flavor, and free from 

 ground taste, the usual companion of American 

 wines. 



Imperfectly fermented wine, or must partially 

 fermented in the usual way are by air treatment 

 quickly finished and marketable in a few weeks. 

 Even slightly diseased wines, ropy, heavy or obsti- 

 nately turbid, but otherwise free from acetic acidifi- 

 cation, are by one vigorous air treatment, clarified 

 in a few days and perfectly restored. 



Wine men in general and others, not conversant 

 with the aforesaid principle involved in the air 

 treatment, supposed, according to prevalent ideas, 

 that formation of acidity was inseperable from addi- 

 tional supply or access of air. Contrary, however, 

 to this belief, it has been proved, that all wine made 

 by proper air-treatment has less acid than wine 

 obtained by the usual fermentation, by exclu- 

 sion of air, from the original must. The cele- 

 brated French chemist Pasteur, made the same 

 observation. Another observation of the same 

 eminent savant, that must pressed from grapes 

 under perfect exclusion from air will not ferment 

 till atmospheric oxygen is admitted to it — caused 

 Dr. A Blankenhorn, in Baden, Germany, to make 

 experiments in the foil of 1867, by impelled air, 

 which gave then and in the years following the best 

 results ; and as a consequence the process is 

 already in general use in the best wine cellars of 

 Upper Baden and other parts of Europe. Dr. 

 Blankenhorn, the editor of the most prominent sci- 

 entific journal on wine in Germany, the " Annalen- 

 der Oenologie," Carlsruhe, Baden, publishes in the 

 same tables of systematically and carefully con- 

 ducted operations by that process, which should dis- 

 pel any doubt on the subject. According to these, a 

 smaller amount of carbonic acid is evolved, and 

 thus allowing for a considerable larger amount of 

 the lees, more wine by \% per cent, results, com- 

 pared with that obtained from the same amount of 

 must by the usual fermentation (Ann. of Oen. vol. 1, 

 page 218); the difference in proportion is much 

 greater if the maturity is made the standard of com- 

 parison. Numerous testimonials from wine men 



in all parts of this continent lay before us, express- 

 ing in the highest terms their appreciation of the 

 advantages secured by the air-treatment in making 

 wines of all kinds. The manufacture of brandies 

 from any kind of fruit is also greatly improved by 

 the air-treatment ; a larger amount of superior 

 brandy results from mashes, fermented by this 

 mode and by subsequent air treatment the spirits 

 are speedily matured. 



To preserve the liquor extracts of fruits, the 

 juices are at a temperature above 1.50 deg., Fah., sub- 

 jected to continuous and vigorously impelled Sir for 

 some hours, this precludes all fermentation, the 

 albumenous parts are oxidized, rendered insoluble 

 and thus removed by skimming, filtering or settling. 

 The juice, thus purified is no more subject to fer- 

 mentation or souring by exposure to the air, and 

 can subsequently be concentrated by evaporation 

 to the required syrupy consistency, by which it 

 may be shipped or hept in casks for years without 

 injur}'. The drying of fruits is likewise improved 

 by artificial currents of air through the compart- 

 ments or kilns, in which it is performed. For the 

 transportation of fruit, produce, meat, etc., in rail- 

 road cars or vessels, or to store them, narrow com- 

 partments are constructed in the cars, holds or rooms 

 and intercommunicating one with the other, so 

 that the currents of air, impelled by a blower into 

 the first of the compartments, have to pass through 

 the whole length and through the next and the 

 whole lines of compartments in which the fruit or 

 produce in crates or otherwise placed, piled on 

 slat floors, or meat hung up. The currents of air 

 will be thus compelled to play over all the com- 

 modities in the compartments. To counteract and 

 destroy the effects of any putrifying agent, (funji) 

 that may adhere to the fruit, produce, meat, etc., it 

 is desirable, to have the air (in some instances) 

 slightly impregnated with carbolic acid or other 

 antiseptics in a gaseous state, not sufficient to com- 

 municate any objectionable smell or taste to the 

 articles to be preserved. In this manner enormous 

 losses by spoiling of fruit, produce, etc., will not 

 only be avoided, but the trade in these commodities 

 indused to an extent larger beyond comparison 

 than at present with illy ventilated railroad cars, 

 vessels and store-rooms. 



Unfruitful Vines. — John Slope, of Michigan, 

 writes the Farmers' Club that he has grape vines 

 that blossom annually and do not bear fruit, while 

 other vines near by do produce fruit. He asks if 

 others have observed the same thing. Mr. Fuller 

 says he knows a vine a hundred 3'ears old that 

 alwaj's blossoms, and the bloom yields a sweet per- 

 fume resembling migionettc ; but it has never borne 

 a grape. The fertilizing organs are wanting in the 

 flowers and will not produce fruit. 



