284 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JourNAL. [1 Avrin, 1898. 
Never rack into a cask that has contained unsound wine, unless it has been 
carefully disinfected and cleaned out. Smell each cask before you use it, and 
discard all that have the slightest taint of sourness, mouldiness, or woodiness. 
The preparation and cleansing of these and new casks will be given on another 
occasion. Avoid racking when the air contains much humidity; choose dry, 
bright weather for it. 
The fortified wines of 30 degrees and upwards, on the contrary, should be 
racked by tap and bucket with as much aerification as possible. The more 
the wines are oxidised, the sooner will they mature and acquire the bouquet 
and softness of old wine. Germs cannot influence the wine in any way, as its 
alcoholic strength paralyses their action, except in rare cases of wines very 
badly prepared. A small addition of alcohol should be made at each racking 
to compensate for the loss by evaporation, &e. , 
