1 Man., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 195 
should be arranged directly under the mill on the ground floor, the shoot 
passing through one or more small trapdoors in the flooring, according to the 
number of vats and their position. Should the lower story be above ground, 
the grapes will have to be run up to the mill in any convenient utensil by 
means of a block and pulley. By milling the grapes directly into the 
fermenting vats, labour is saved, and the work done in a more cleanly manner. 
The necessity of maintaining the temperature of the must in the ferment- 
ing vats at about 85 degrees to ensure a healthy fermentation has been treated 
upon in last month’s Journal. By adopting any of the above systems of cellar 
construction, but more especially the underground system, you will in all 
probability be enabled to maintain your fermenting must at that temperature 
without the aid of any apparatus for cooling it artificially, which again is a 
saving of expense. 
It may cause surprise to some that the storing of wines in the hot upper 
story should be advised. It.would appear that for wine to be placed directly 
under the radiation from an iron roof, and in an atmosphere exposed to great 
changes of temperature, its welfare must be prejudiced. On the contrary, the 
_ situation will prove most beneficial to wines of this class, and will hasten their 
maturity in an extraordinary manner. It was on this system that in old days 
Madeiras and sherries were sent round the world in sailing ships, the heat of 
the hold in the tropics and the movement of the vessel accounting for the 
improvement in the wine. To this day, at Cette, in France, immense yards 
are filled with casks of similar wines, which are left without any covering, 
exposed to the sun, rain, and all the variations of a southern climate for a 
period. of several months or even fora year. The heat and exposure cause, in 
a comparatively short space of time, an oxidation and etherification of the 
various constituents of the wine, giving the appearance of age and maturity 
only acquired by long storage in cool underground cellars. Do not be tempted 
to try this treatment on light wines unless with the intention of starting a 
vinegar factory; only heavy fortified wines of 80 degrees and upwards will 
stand such usage. 
See that the beams and planking forming the floor of the upper story be 
of sufficient strength to support the weight of the wine and casks, which should 
not exceed 100 gallons in capacity if quick maturing is wanted; in fact, the 
smaller the cask the better, except that there will be greater evaporation of 
liquid as the size decreases. : 
VENTILATION. 
The next thing is to explain how the cellar should be divided and ven- 
tilated. The upper story is better undivided, if it can be managed, so as to 
permit a free circulation of air to carry away the heat radiated from the iron 
roof. ‘Two swing windows on pivots should be placed in the gable walls, open 
in hot weather, and additional light may be given by one or two small windows 
on either side under the eaves to prevent the entrance of the sun’s rays. 
Below—that part of the cellar containing the fermentation vats—should be 
divided off from the rest by a wooden partition having a sliding door to allow 
passage from one to another. A wooden staircase or steps may be placed here » 
to communicate with the upper story, but so arranged as to be able to shut 
off any circulation of the air when the fermenting-room is not in use. Light 
should be given by small windows on the west or south side, according to the 
position of the cellar, to get the least amount of reflection or radiation from the 
sun. The same reasons must govern the position of the windows of the rest of 
the cellar, preference being given always to the south. All the lower windows 
must have external shutters, to be kept closed when not working. The entrance 
should be provided with sliding doors that fit close, and everything should be 
done to prevent a circulation of air inside the cellar ; all windows and the door 
should fit well and not gape. If care be taken over these details and the 
cellar be underground, the temperature ought never to rise over 70 degrees, 
