Harvesting the Hedges 
cross what looked like lovely green grass by the waterside. 
But, alas, 
Things are not always what they seem. 
Skim-milk masquerades as cream. 
We found ourselves in a mire veiled only by the treacherous 
grass, and sank well in over our shoes, paying dearly for 
the basketful of rather unripe berries which was all we got 
on the farther side. I hope our wine will be a success. 
This is the receipt, one of many I studied, which we 
followed — Miss Bartlett’s. I knew it was good, for I had 
tasted wine made from it in Yorkshire, according to her 
mother or grandmother’s recipe : “ Five quarts water to 
every gallon of berries. Soak for io days, at the end of 
which time strain and boil the liquor for 4 minutes. Three 
lb. loaf-sugar to every*gallon of wine. Pour the boiling wine 
on the sugar and stir well. To every 4 gallons of wine 
allow J oz. whole allspice and \ oz. cloves, 3 oz. whole 
ginger, bruised. When the wine is nearly cold, stir into it 
2 tablespoonfuls of brewer’s yeast. Put the spice and the 
ginger into small muslin bags, tie a piece of string to them 
so as to keep it outside the bunghole, keep the barrel well 
filled until the wine has done working, but don’t be sur- 
prised if it does not begin to work for a few days. When 
finished working cork down.” An older recipe advises the 
addition of a bottle of Mountain Wine ! 
It is a splendid cure for colds, taken hot with sugar and 
boiling water. But there are those who say they prefer a 
good Whisky Toddy. I do not think people seem to make 
Elderberry-wine much now about here, though there is a 
tradition Elder-wine was brewed here in the days of “ the old 
Colonel.” And before that even, folks must have made 
Elderflower-wine, since in Lady Nairne’s song of “ The 
Laird of Cockpen ” “ Mistress Jean she was making the 
Elderflower-wine” when the Laird in his well-powdered 
wig came so untowardly a-courting. These are the curious 
little details which make things real to one. I know an old 
Scotch house where the ivy-covered turrets are still called the 
237 
