411 
becomes excessive it may be necessary to re-cooper up the cask and 
replace one or more staves, removing one or more and substituting 
in their places wider ones so that the heads can then sit well home 
in the grooves and make the cask tight. Sugar-bag matting is often 
used ; it is first moistened to make it limp and prevent breaking, and 
is then split into two faces before using. The flagging is done with 
the help of a flagging iron, by means of which the end of the staves 
at the head are pressed apart. For that purpose, the two top 
hoops are taken off, and the third hoop may have to be loosened, 
just enough to save the head falling through. It is a good plan 
to mark beforehand with a pencil or with chalk the leaky spots. 
For a longitudinal flag, press out one stave and insert the split 
flag lengthways, double it if the fissure is large, and let the lower 
end of the flagging material come out where a hoop will cover it. 
For a circular flag, around the rim of the head piece, put in the 
moistened flagging material one stave at a time, using for so doing 
the flagging iron and also a blunt hard wood wedge. 
For a leak between head and chime, the flagging material 1s 
carefully inserted into the groove of the stave. 
CRACKED STAVES. 
Repeated use of the cask often damages one or more of the 
staves or the bung hole. If the bung hole is slightly splintered but 
not quite unsound, carefully drive down a bung, and treat like a 
eracked stave. For that purpose, first work a little white lead into 
the erack, then place a piece of brown paper over it, and cover the 
brown paper with a piece of sheet lead cut the required size. In- 
stead of white of lead, a paste made by boiling a little linseed is 
used, and this is covered as described. The sheet lead is tacked 
round, all creases being carefully hammered out, commencing at one 
end and proceeding to the other, as the tacking is done. The tacks 
of course should not be too large. Equal parts of beeswax and resin 
make a good mastic. 
Kerering Woopen Vats In Goop Orprr. 
During the period which elapses from vintage to vintage 
wooden tubs and vats are idle and shrink, although whitewashed, 
and this must give trouble when vintage comes on again. 
Some wine-makers fill them with water which keeps them to- 
gether, but the water often rots and taints the wood—unless made 
into brine or permanganate of potash is added. A method which 
finds favour with some is to first well dry the tubs and vats, after 
thorough cleansing, and then paint them over with melted paraffin 
