PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 115 



four feet deep, in oak forests. They appeared to prefer the oak 

 trees. 



The Chairman stated that he had observed their preference 

 for oak in some instances, but upon the Avhole he thought thej 

 had very little care for any particular sort of trees. 



Dr. Trimble thought the chestnut was their favorite. 



DOMESTIC WINES. 



Prof. Mapes — The decoction usually made, and called currant 

 wine, is not wine ; it is fruit juice and alcohol ; then came sugar, 

 forming alcohol in its fermentation. None but refined sugar 

 should be used, and if a spoonful of sulphuric acid should be ' 

 added to five gallons of syrup, it will in a measure convert it 

 into grape sugar. If you put 16 gallons of the juice of rhubarb 

 into a cask, and then add three pounds of refined sugar to each 

 gallon of the capacity of the cask, and fill up with water, and 

 mix well, it will ferment and make what is called wine. In about 

 eight weeks it will cease to ferment, and then it should be corked 

 tight and kept one year without touching it before bottling. In 

 three years it will become like a dry sherry wine. The sugar 

 used for all fruit wines should be what is called triple refined. 

 If any spirits are used in small fruit wine, it must be pure spirit 

 without any taste. This is better than brandy for preserving 

 fruit. 



I don't believe that grapes grown in this vicinit}' will make 

 wine without sugar, and then it is not wine, it is grape cordial. 

 The only remedy is to dry the grapes before making them into 

 wine. I believe I can make 150 barrels per acre of rhubarb 

 wine, and it will be better than the most of the grape Avine yet 

 made in this country. One of my neighbors makes Avine of per- 

 fectly sound cider, one year old, by dropping Isabella grapes 

 into the bunghole until the barrel is full, and left to stand six 

 months. 



CINCINNATI GRAPE-VINES. 



Andrew S. Fuller presented samples of grape-vines from Cin- 

 cinnati, and made the following remarks connected with the 

 manufacture of domestic wines : The production of pure wines 

 for home consumption is a subject not only of much importance 

 as a matter of economy to us as a people, but of still greater 

 importance as it relates to matter of health with the masses, and 

 will continue to do so as long as so many will persist, in drinking 



