448 



Farming of Herefordshire. 



wines produced in the cooler vine-growing districts is owing to 

 the greater proportion of tartaric acid existing in the grape, 

 whilst in hot climates sugar preponderates. Whether the theory 

 is correct or not, it may be worthy of an experiment, to see 

 whether a few pounds of cream of tartar placed in a hogshead of 

 apple-juice will give the resulting cider a superior aroma ; and 

 common commercial argols might be used ; if so, it would be a 

 great step gained, for, even without such assistance, good sound 

 and carefully-prepared dry cider has fallen under our notice 

 which could be favourably compared with many of the wines pro- 

 duced on the Rhine and the Moselle. 



It has already been shown that unclecayed pears contain ade- 

 quate saccharine matters to make a liquor superior in strength to 

 champagne ; whilst the ropiness which sometimes occurs may be 

 corrected by tannin, or perhaps, still better, by using along with 

 the pear-juice a small quantity expressed from some of the more 

 astringent kinds of apples, which sometimes Contain a compara- 

 tively considerable amount of tannin. If the conditions laid down 

 be carefully attended to, the manufacturer will arrive at all the 

 principal features of champagne, viz., briskness, brightness, and 

 strength; the aroma only being wanted to complete the parallel. 



It has already been stated, that analytical chemistry has hitherto 

 failed to separate in a distinct body those agreeable flavours 

 which accompany, and are peculiar to, many ripened fruits. 

 What analytical chemistry has failed to accomplish, synthetical 

 chemistry has produced, or, at all events, sufficiently so for 

 practical and commercial purposes. If the delicate perfumes 

 manufactured of late years are not identical in their chemical 

 composition with the natural ones which they are intended to 

 represent, the olfactory nerves and gustatory organs fail to dis- 

 cover the difference between those artificially prepared and such 

 as are formed by nature. We are indebted to the Great Exhi- 

 bition, and the lecture subsequently delivered by Dr. Lyon Play- 

 fair, for an exposition of this subject : in that portion of his 

 lecture which relates to perfumery it is observed — " The per- 

 fumes of flowers often consist of oils and ethers, which the 

 chemist can compound artificially in his laboratory. Com- 

 mercial enterprise has availed itself of this fact, and sent to the 

 Exhibition, in the form of essences, perfumes thus prepared. 

 Singularly enough, they are generally derived from substances 

 of intensely disgusting odour. A peculiarly fcetid oil, tenned 

 ' fusel oil,' is formed in making brandy and whiskey. This fusel 

 oil, distilled with sulphuric acid and acetate of potash, gives the 

 OIL OF PEARS. The OIL OF APPLES is made from the same fusel 

 oil by distillation with sulphuric acid and bichromate of potash." 

 The acidulated drops sold by the confectioners and grocers, per- 



