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38 THE VINE AND CIVILISATION. 
and soft bouquet, and balmy to the palate, produces 80 tuns 
of first, and 20 tuns of second ‘ crue’ per annum. 
‘*Chateau Latour produces 70 to 80 tuns only, grown on 
sandy, gravelly soil, of superior body and consistency, and 
only less fine than Chateau Lafitte; principally consumed in 
England. 
**Mouton, or Branne Mouton, fine quality, nearly equal 
to the Three Kings, occupies 135 acres, sold in 1830 for 1800 
dollars per acre, produces 100 to 140 tuns per annum. 
‘*The soil of these vineyards, which are situated on small 
hills, is slightly gravelly, mixed with small flint stones; the 
vines are planted three feet apart each way, main stems only 
allowed one foot in height, and are fastened to low stakes, 
with laths or switches to hold up the branches; frequently 
plowed and pruned so as to admit sun and air. The quality 
of the wine is always considered to depend, partly on the pains 
taken in the cultivation of the plant; at the vintage the exact 
point of the maturity of the grape is waited for; the days most 
favourable for gathering are chosen, the pressing principally 
by the feet, of distinct gatherings, of first, second and third 
classes, called ‘crue.’ As soon as the wines are in casks, the 
greatest care is taken to preserve and ameliorate them; they 
are fined and racked off, for the most part, twice a year. After 
they are five years old they are racked but once a year. 
‘*'The wine, when in perfection, should be of a rich colour, a 
bouquet partaking of the violet, very fine and of very agree- 
able flavour; the price fluctuates greatly, being dependent 
upon the seasons. The wines are classed by brokers, who 
decide to which class the wines belong, like all other leading 
commercial commodities are classed, such as cotton, tobacco, 
or wool. The excellence of these fine wines is attained not 
only by a peculiar adaptability of the soil, but by the greatest 
