220 
VALUE OF GUANOj* ETC. 
sers rolled up, and commence treading, or rather i 
dancing, to the sound of fiddles, guitars, fifes, and 
drums, accompanied, by the wild chorus of their 
own voices, for the space of two days and as many 
nights* with six hours’ rest between each eighteen, 
till the skins of the grapes are perfectly bruised, so 
as to extract every particle of their color, and their 
juice is completely expressed. 
Fermentation of the Juice .—After the men retire 
from the tank, the juice, husks, and stalks are al¬ 
lowed to ferment together from two to six days. 
In the mean time, the husks and stalks rise to the 
surface of the liquid and form a compact mass ; the 
color is still further extracted from the skins ; and 
the stalks impart that astringent quality so much 
admired by all lovers of good Port wine. 
Previous to drawing off the wine from the press 
into the tonels, it is of a dark, muddy color, sweet, 
nauseous, and sickening. The period at which it 
is thus drawn off, is the time when the rich and gen¬ 
erous qualities of the grapes are liable to be lost or 
retained. At this critical moment, the future suc¬ 
cess of the operation almost entirely depends ; for, 
in consequence of the richness of the Douro grape, 
the fermentation is generally so active, that, if suffer¬ 
ed to remain too long in the press, it will be convert¬ 
ed into a bitter liquid, unfit to drink, and of little, or 
no value, except for making into vinegar. There¬ 
fore, in order to retain those highly-prized qualities, 
it is absolutely necessary to add brandy to the juice 
before that stage which causes bitterness begins. 
Nothing, however, can enable one to judge of this 
critical point, except long experience and a perfect 
knowledge of the business. 
The Addition of Brandy Indispensable.— Brandy 
always has been, and always must be, added to the 
richer and finer Port wines, which are intended for 
long keeping ; for, from their very nature, they will 
overwork themselves, ana, by exhausting their own 
strength, will ultimately be destroyed. ’Tis true, 
the grapes from which the richest of these wines 
are obtained, when hung up in the sun to dry, be¬ 
come complete masses of saccharine matter, or 
sugar ; but this property is only possessed by those 
grown in positions most exposed to the sun, and 
afford that luscious and fruity flavor, of which no 
other wine can boast. With the poorer and more 
watery grapes, the fermentation, although less vio¬ 
lent, will work out the little saccharine matter 
they contain, which will entirely disappear, in time; 
and a light, dry wine will be formed, requiring but 
little brandy to preserve it, for the very reason, 
that it possesses fewer good qualities to preserve. 
Thus, the commonest green wine of Portugal (vin- 
ho verde), will keep only a year without brandy, 
after which, it turns to vinegar. 
Brandy Lost by Evaporation .—It must not be 
supposed, however, that, because brandy is added 
to wine, it there remains; for. in reality, it is lost 
by evaporation, in a very short time, particularly in 
hot weather, and consequently, when the wine is 
drunk, its strength has in no way increased, but on 
the contrary, has been diminished by age. On this 
point I shall speak more fully when further treat¬ 
ing on the management of wine. F. R. S. 
Upper Douro , Sept. 27th, 1847. 
Weeds should be destroyed when young. 
VALUE OF GUANO. 
As a Top-Dressing for Grass.—We have never 
yet found anything superior , to guano, especially 
directly after, mowing or close pasturing. Spread, 
broadcast, from 250 to 500 lbs. per acre, according' , 
to the fertility of the soil; if rain, or heavy dew, 
soon follow, the effect will be surprising. If the 
grass be cut, or depastured, early in the season, shy 
by the last of June or fore part of July, w6 have re-':, 
peatedly noticed, that the guanoed patches produced’; 
as great a second growth as that of the first. This , 
is a matter of no small consideration do those who 
have only a small quantity of land, and are desi- 
rous that it should yield the greatest possible pro- _ 
duct. Another consideration is, guano gives the turf j 
a greener and richer appearance than most kinds 
of manure ; and will frequently bring in other 
highly nutritious grasses, which may not have 
made their appearance in the field for years be- v 
fore. 
For Turnips , guano is a very valuable manure; 
and has the merit also of being extremely disagree¬ 
able to the fly. After the ground is prepared, ^ 
spread the same quantity, broadcast, as upon grass, 
either before or after the turnip seed is sown, and v 
then smooth over with a fine harrow, bush, or rol- , 
ler, or with all three, as may be most convenient. 
Some prefer to apply only half the quantity of 
guano at the time of sowing the seed, and add the 
other half when the turnip plant is in its first leaf. 
They think this method a better guard against the 
fly, and that the guano proves equally beneficial. 
For Corn. —At the last hoeing, apply a heaping 
table-spoonful of guano around each hill, about six 
inches from the stalks, and with the hoe, mix it with 
the soil. It is very effectual in assisting the ears 
of corn to fill out with grain ; and it adds also some¬ 
what to the growth and nutriment of the stalk. 
For Buckwheol , Wheat , and Rye. —As a top-dres¬ 
sing for these crops, at the time of, or after, sow¬ 
ing, guano has proved itself equal to the best of 
manures. 
Stravoberries and Other Fruits delight in guano. 
It increases the size of fruit of all kinds, and adds 
much to its delicacy and flavor. 
For Various Other Crops , guano is highly re¬ 
commended, by the most experienced farmers and y 
gardeners, in cases where a large, quick growth is 
desired. 
It is upwards of twenty years since guano was 
first introduced into the United States, and for the 
past five years it has been very extensively used, 
and highly approved of, by the farmers and gar¬ 
deners in the neighborhood of Boston, New York, 
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Norfolk, Charleston, and 
New Orleans. For price, which is quite low, see 
advertisement. 
A Poser for Liebig.— It is well known by all 
who are familiar with the writings of Liebig, that 
he has stated as his opinion, that plants derive all 
their azote (nitrogen), from the air. Against this 
opinion may be placed the conclusion at which Pro¬ 
fessor Kuhlmann, of Germany, has arrived, from 
careful and laborious experiment, namely:— That 
if the air can supply sufficient azote for vegetation 
in its unaide d, or natural condition , we can double 
that vegetation by the addition of azote to the soil! 
