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sufficient caskage at the right time, delayed beyond the time they 

 should have been gathered. 



The casks at last arrive, and it may be on the faith of a state- 

 ment from the cooper that the timber has been seasoned and the 

 casks steamed, they are filled straight away ; as a matter of fact, 

 the staves are still full of sappy and resinous matters, easily 

 extracted by the alc6hol in the wine, which will, unless removed, 

 impart to the first wine with which they come in contact an un- 

 pleasant and woody taste. 



Several methods are used for seasoning the timber : 



(i.) Fill the cask or the vat, as the case may be, with water 

 hot preferably in which is dissolved lOlbs. of 

 common salt for every 100 gallons capacity, and 

 let it stand for a day or two ; then run the water out 

 and rinse the cask well with pure water. 



(2.) Another method, which is even better, consists in filling 

 the vessel with water either cold or tepid and 

 adding a handful of washing soda or of potash for 

 every 50 gallons capacity. Let stand for several 

 days ; run out the liquid, which will have extracted a 

 brown colour from the wood. Fill with clean water, 

 let stand for a day or so, then run it out. If the 

 water is quite colourless, let the cask drain. For 

 every 100 gallons capacity, make hot one gallon of a 

 sound wine, pour into it and bung lightly, and 

 roll the cask about for a day or so to give time to the 

 spirit to penetrate the pores of the new wood ; then 

 drain out all the wine and fill with sulphurous fumes, 

 drive the bung or the plug in, and the cask is then 

 ready for use. Rectified spirit can be used instead of 

 hot wine, but care must then be taken that no burn- 

 ing sulphur match is used for sulphuring, as the 

 sudden expansion of the alcoholic vapour would cause 

 an explosion. 



If the vessel is too large to conveniently fill with water, use a 

 more concentrated solution, and wash the sides every now and 

 again by using a broom ; this will extract much colour and resinous 

 matter from the wood. 



To season new oak casks for export, pour into them a bucket 

 of hot water, with a handful of washing soda, and turn about for 

 four days; then run this out and wash twice with fresh water; 

 then pour some good sound lye into them and sulphur heavily, and 

 after two days wash again and sulphur, and the cask is ready to 

 receive the most delicate wine. 



CLEAN CASKS. 



It may be said that wine-making commences at the moment 

 the ripe grapes reach the cellar and the berries are crushed and 



