186 CLEVELAND WINE. 
no other grape bears better ; it likes to run on trees. The Isabella he 
does not like to mix with other kinds, because it is earliest ripe and 
ferments soonest. By itself it makes a fair wine. Last year he tried 
200 lbs. of the Concord, and does not like it, and yet the Hermann folks 
value it to mix with Norton's Virginia. 
The following is his account of the per-centage of wine in different 
grapes. He uses the scale of Oeshel which ranges from 4 to 115 degrees. 
Concord showed from 65 to 70 per cent. ; Norton's Virginia, suddenly, 
110 ; Catawba from 80 to 90 ; Isabella from 60 to 65 ; Clinton 100, and 
sometimes 103 ; of the Delaware he was doubtful. 
The amount of acid in the must of different grapes he tests by 
Geister's acidimeter, ranging from 1 to 20. In addition is a thermometer, 
which is used in making the trial when the must is at 52 deg. Fahren- 
heit In 80 degrees of Catawba saccharine matter there are from 7 to 8 
of acid ; in Isabella, 9 to 10 ; Norton's Virginia, 4 ; Delaware, 5 ; Con- 
cord, 6. 
Last year he bought grapes to make from nine to ten thousand 
gallons of wine ; two years ago from eighteen to twenty thousand 
gallons. He says positively there can be no limit to the market at good 
prices. Last year most of the grapes were engaged early in August. 
This year buyers were already around trying to contract. 
Mr. Leick has large cellars under his store, where are huge casks, 
but he has no regular wine-cellar such as at Hermann. Those cellars 
look like vast railroad culverts walled at one end, and with an entry 
and two doors in the other. They cost from three to five hundred 
dollars. If the wine is kept in store during the year it will rapidly 
ferment, and get what is called age. He can sell all the wine he makes 
during the year. Should he keep much over, he would require a proper 
wine-cellar. Still he has some old stocks, so as to have different ages 
in the business. Mr. Leick makes this statement : — If for five years to 
come the people of this country plant vineyards as they have for five years 
past, there will be more wine and grapes here than in the old country. 
He says the grapes in Germany have only about half as much acid 
as those in this country, but the flavour of American wine is three 
times stronger. The German grapes yield about the same, but the skin 
is thinner. The acid is in the thick skin of the Catawba. The sac- 
charine matter is about the same. They do not get half as much wine 
fronvan acre of grapes there as we do here, for they have a good crop 
onW once in eight years. As regards the comparative quality of the 
wn(ie he could not decide, so much depends on taste, but the Catawba 
has only 9 J per cent, of alcohol. 
A very great question, however, arises. Is a warm or tropical climate 
more favourable for producing sugar or saccharine matter than a cold one ? 
It does not follow that in warm climates good wine grapes or other choice 
fruits will not grow. The truth is, such climates are quite favourable 
for fruit, but the fruit has more acid. 
