457 



A CORKING MACHINE is very convenient. A good substitute 

 is a hand-corking tube, made of boxwood, and costing only 2s. 6d., 

 and a cork-driver, made of a piece of board cut into shape as shown 

 in the illustration. 



Cork driver. 



Hand-corkiiig Tube. 



MODUS OPERANDI. It is supposed that the wine is bright and 

 in good condition for bottling. If it is turbid and dull looking, 

 write for information, or seek the advice of someone who knows 

 how to handle wine. The cask has been allowed to rest, on the 

 stand, bung on top, for a week or so, and any sediment that may 

 have been in it has settled into the bilge of the cask. Remove the 

 wooden shive f>y hitting the top stave,, in whi-oh the bung hole is 

 bored, *on each side, alternatively. This will start the shive, which 

 will then be easily removed. If too tightly driven, a wood chisel 

 and a hammer will soon remove it, but the circular bung hole must 

 not be damaged by the chisel, as this will make it difficult to bung 

 it down again when used another time. 



The clean bottles have all been arranged around the cask. 

 The operator, after having run water in the india-rubber tubing to 

 cleanse it, places one piece into the cask through the bung hole, as 

 shown in the illustration, until he feels that the syphon touches the 

 bottom of the cask. He then stands alongside the cask, holds the 

 tube between the thumb and the forefinger, about the same height 

 as the top of the cask, sucks only once, and promptly lowers his 

 end of the tube. If the suction has been properly applied no wine 

 will be spilled, and it will run out at once. Half a glassful is 

 collected, and if not clear and bright it is run into a jug until the 

 clear wine comes out. 



The thumb and forefinger compress the end of the tube, which 

 is now placed just inside the neck of the bottle ; the pressure is 

 relaxed, and when the wine rises to the middle of the neck of the 

 bottle the rubber tube is pressed again, another bottle is filled, and 

 so on until all the bottles are filled. 



