318 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  1,  lf9e. 
When  it  is  desired  to  check  the  fermentation  of  the  must  it  is 
necessary  to  destroy  the  oxygen  which  it  contains  by  the  aid  of 
sulphur.  The  sulphurous  fumes  which  are  produced  by  burning 
sulphur  matches  penetrate  the  wine,  combine  with  the  oxygen,  and 
form  sulphuric  acid,  which  is  found  by  analysis  in  the  wine,  but  in 
such  small  quantity  as  not  to  affect  its  quality  or  character. 
Water — If  the  juice  were  in  a  state  of  strong  syrup  there  would 
be  no  fermentation  ;  and  if  only  a  small  quantity  of  water  were 
added  fermentation  would  proceed  so  slowly  that  if  the  juice  were 
exposed  to  the  air  acetic  acid  would  be  formed  instead  of  alcohol. 
There  is  in  some  fruits  so  much  sugar,  and  fermentation  proceeds  so 
slowly,  that  unless  water  is  added  the  result  would  be  vinegar  ;  but 
where  an  equal  quantity  of  water  is  added  to  the  juice  fermentation 
goes  on  more  rapidly,  is  more  complete,  and  the  production  of.  alcohol 
is  in  greater  quantity  and  of  better  quality.  If  the  juice  is  too 
much  diluted,  and  if  there  is  not  an  excess  of  ferment,  there  is  the 
same  danger  of  acetous  fermentation.  There  is,  therefore,  a  degree 
of  fluidity  which  is  as  destructive  to  the  alcoholic  fermentation  as 
there  is  of  too  concentrated  a  syrup  ;  and  the  only  way  in  which 
the  proper  state  of  the  liquor  can  be  ascertained  is  by  the  use  of  the 
saccharometer. 
Air. — From  the  great  affinity  that  ferment  has  for  oxygen,  the 
smallest  amount  of  atmospheric  air  is  necessary  to  induce  fermenta¬ 
tion.  Indeed,  that  which  is  contained  in  the  bruised  fruit  itself,  and 
the  vessel  which  retains  it,  is  sufficient  for  the  purpose.  Too  long 
an  exposure  of  the  liquor  to  atmospheric  air,  if  there  has  not  been 
sufficient  alcohol  generated,  will  produce  the  acetous  fermentation. 
The  process  has  therefore  to  be  carefully  watched,  and  care  taken 
that  there  is  a  proper  proportion  of  sugar  to  the  ferment  to  secure 
the  production  of  the  alcohol. 
In  those  fruits  where  there  is  a  natural  deficiency  of  sugar  there 
is  always  an  excess  of  ferment ;  and  hence,  if  fermentation  were  to 
proceed  without  the  addition  of  sugar  to  the  liquor,  the  result  would 
be  the  production  of  vinegar  instead  of  alcohol  ;  for,  as  we  have 
already  said,  it  is  the  decomposition  of  the  sugar  by  fermentation 
that  produces  alcohol,  and  the  more  sugar  there  is  there  will  con¬ 
sequently  be  a  greater  quantity  of  alcohol.  But  if  there  be  a 
deficiency  of  ferment  there  will  be  an.  excess  of  sugar  in  the  wine, 
and  consequently  a  deficiency  of  vinous  liquor  and  of  alcohol. 
'J  his  defect  is  corrected  by  the  use  of  artificial  leaven  or  yeast ;  but 
when  this  is  necessary  the  yeast  of  beer  should  always  be  avoided. 
By  far  the  best  substance  to  employ  for  assisting  fermentation  is 
argol  (bitartrate  of  potash)  added  in  the  proportion  of  1  oz.  to  every 
gallon  of  liquor;  and  this  we  recommend  to  be  used  in  every  case, 
Te.mperatuee. — When  the  fruit  has  been  bruised,  and  the  water 
and  the  sugar  added,  the  vessel  which  contains  them  must  be  placed 
in  a  temperature  of  55°  to  fiO°.  Fermentation  will  soon  begin,  and 
will  progress  more  or  less  rapidly  according  to  the  temperature.  At 
75°  it  is  violent  and  rapid  ;  but  perhaps  the  safest  and  best  tempera¬ 
ture  is  60’  to  65°. 
First  of  all  globules  of  air  will  begin  to  be  formed  all  through  the 
body  of  the  liquid,  and  rise  to  the  surface.  The  liquor  will  become 
agitaied  and  covered  with  scum,  while  all  the  substances  that  it  holds 
in  suspension  will  rise  and  settle  on  the  top.  A  large  quantity  of 
carbonic  acid  is  disengaged  ;  the  temperature  of  the  liquid  rises  ;  its 
bulk  is  increased  ;  a  sound  like  that  of  water  boiling  is  heard  ;  and 
ultimately  a  vinous  smell  is  given  off,  which  indicates  that  the  liquor 
has  become  wine.  The  crust  which  is  formed  on  the  surface  is  of  a 
higher  temperature  than  that  of  the  liquid,  and  whenever  the  active 
fermentation  has  attained  its  height,  this  must  be  removed,  otherwise 
it  will  pats  into  the  acetous  form  and  injure  the  quality  of  the  wine. 
(To  be  continued.) 
WINE  FROM  UNRIPE  GRAPES. 
I  OBSERVE  your  answer  to  “  Griffin  ”  in  last  week’s  notes  to 
correspondents  on  the  above  subject.  I  have  had  some  little 
experience  in  making  wine  from  home  grown  Grapes  in  the  open 
air,  and  a  few  words  on  which  may  be  useful  to  him  in  making  his 
Grapes  into  wine  at  little  expense.  1  am  afraid,  with  the  wet, 
sunless  weather  we  are  having  and  have  had  for  some  time,  that 
outside  Grapes  will  not  ripen  well  this  year,  and  the  deficiency  in 
ripeness  will  have  to  be  made  up  by  adding  sugar  to  the  must. 
I  would  advise  “  Griffin  ”  to  gather  his  Grapes  at  once,  put  them 
in  a  wooden  vessel  and  crush  them  with  a  wooden  beetle,  or  any¬ 
thing  that  will  pulp  them  without  bruising  the  seeds.  Add  one 
quart  of  water  to  the  gallon  of  pulped  Grapes  to  lessen  the  acidity 
caused  by  their  not  being  ripe.  Stir  it  up  frequently,  and  let  the 
Grapes  and  most  lie  in  the  vat  or  vessel  for  three  days  before  press¬ 
ing  it.  After  which  add  3  lbs.  of  the  best  cane  sugar  to  the  gallon 
of  must,  and  put  it  in  a  barrel  to  ferment.  The  barrel  should  be 
raised  a  little  off  the  ground  by  a  hone  or  box,  to  allow  of  it  being 
racked  when  the  time  comes  without  moving  it,  and  the  bung-hole 
kept  open  to  allow  all  the  impurities  to  work  out  during  the  time 
fermentation  is  going  on. 
After  fermentation  has  ceased  the  bung  should  be  driven  home 
and  the  wine  allowed  to  rest  until  the  following  spring,  when  it 
should  be  racked  into  a  clean  barrel,  and  the  one  it  was  in 
thoroughly  cleaned.  The  wine  should  be  kept  in  wood  for  three 
years,  and  racked  twice  a  year  (spring  and  autumn)  to  thoroughly 
purify  it  before  bottling. — A.  Pettigrew. 
ROMAN  HYACINTHS  AND  POLYANTHUS 
NARCISSI. 
Every  cultivator  who  has  to  provide  a  succession  of  flowers  for 
cutting  knows  the  value  of  plants  that  bloom  naturally  in  the 
winter  season,  or  that  do  su  with  the  simple  aid  and  stimulus  of  a 
gentle  forcing  temperature. 
The  Polyanthus  varieties  of  Narcissus  are  amongst  the  most 
useful  of  the  early  flowering  bulbs,  and  are  well  adapted  for  grow¬ 
ing  simultaneously  with  Roman  Hyacinths,  or  for  immediately 
following  those  useful  bulbs.  For  furnishing  cut  blooms  eligible 
for  almost  every  form  of  decoration,  the  pare  white,  commonly 
called  the  Paper  White  Narcissus,  is  largely  employed.  Those 
cultivators  who  can  command  large  quantities  of  this  variety,  and 
also  the  Double  Roman,  accommodate  the  bulbs  in  boxes  placed 
therein  thi  :kly  together.  They  do  well  thus  treated,  furnishing 
flowers  in  profusion  to  meet  the  demands  of  liberal  cutting.  They 
do  equally  well  in  pots.  Where  the  decoration  of  a  conservatory 
requires  to  be  provided  for,  some,  if  not  all,  the  bulbs  ought  to  be 
grown  in  pots,  as  by  so  doing  the  season  may  be  extended,  for  it  is 
easy  to  forward  as  well  as  to  retard  a  certain  number.  The  two 
varieties  mentioned  are  so  useful  and  so  commonly  grown,  that  a 
few  remarks  on  their  culture  may  be  acceptable  to  some  who  may 
not  hitherto  have  grown  them. 
As  the  bulbs  are  now  to  hand,  and  offered  for  sale  by  all 
seedsmen  at  a  moderate  price,  there  is  no  difficulty  in  procuring 
them.  In  the  case  of  Roman  Hyacinths  the  larger  bulbs  produce 
more  spikes  of  bloom.  There  is  the  ordinary  Paper  White 
Narcissus,  and  a  variety  of  the  same  with  larger  flowers.  It  is  well 
to  grow  both  if  possible,  and  in  quantities  not  less  than  a  hundred 
of  Roman  Hyacinths  and  the  same  of  Narcissi. 
Taking  first  the  Roman  Hyacinth,  the  bulbs  are  small  compared 
with  the  Dutch  varieties,  but  in  growing  the  Romans  we  do  not 
look  for  size  of  spike  or  individual  flower,  but  for  quantity. 
Small  fragrant  spikes  of  pure  white  blooms,  coming  at  a  time 
of  the  year  when  flowers  are  scarce,  are  just  what  is  wanted, 
and  they  are  appreciated  accordingly. 
Some  growers  place  the  bulbs  in  shallow  boxes,  and  transfer  to 
pots  when  in  bloom.  The  system  has  advantages,  the  chief  being 
securing  bulbs  of  one  uniform  development  at  the  time  of  blooming. 
The  bulbs  do  not  resent  the  treatment  of  being  disturbed  and 
replanted  when  about  to  open  their  flowers.  It  is  best,  however, 
when  bottom  heat  can  be  readily  commanded. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  employ  any  elaborate  compost  for  bulbs, 
a  simple  mixture  of  two  parts  loam,  one  of  leaf  soil,  and  half  of 
sand  giving  good  results.  Pots  in  which  the  bulbs  may  remain 
for  blooming  are  usually  the  most  generally  employed,  the  mont 
desirable  sizes  being  5,  6,  and  7-inch  pots,  or  48’s,  32’s,  and  24’h. 
Tbe  5  or  6 -inch  pots  are  more  convenient  when  required  for  room 
decoration,  as  they  are  not  too  large,  but  7-inch  pots  may  be 
employed  for  conservatories.  Some  cultivators  do  not  like  th  t 
large  size®,  more  bulbs  being  required  to  fill  them. 
The  pots  should  be  carefully  drained,  and  a  little  flaky  material 
placed  over  the  crocks,  the  compost  being  previously  prepared,  and 
in  a  moist,  though  not  wet,  condition  may  be  filled  in  loosely  nearly 
to  the  rim.  Then  place  on  the  surface  as  manv  bulbs  as  the  pot 
will  comfortably  hold,  and  press  them  down  evenly,  filling  in  more 
compost,  eventually  leaving  the  tios  of  the  bulbs  just  visible.  Four 
or  five  bulbs  may  be  placed  in  a  5-inch  pot  as  a  rule. 
The  period  of  flowering  may  be  regulated  either  by  potting 
successionally  at  intervals  of  a  few  weeks,  or  by  retarding  the 
bulbs  after  they  have  commenced  growth,  which  may  be  done  by 
cool  treatment. 
After  the  potting  the  most  important  item  in  their  treatment  is 
the  formation  of  roots  in  quantity  before  any  sign  of  top  growth  is 
visible.  Plunging  the  pots  under  ashes,  cocoa-nut  fibre,  or  leaf 
soil  effects  this,  the  period  of  time  which  elapses  before  top  growth 
makes  a  vigorous  start  being  four  to  six  weeks.  When  the  top 
growth  has  extended  an  inch  is  the  time  to  remove  them  from  the 
plunging  material.  In  doing  so  gradually  expose  the  partly 
blanched  growths  to  full  light.  From  complete  darkness  to  the 
full  glare  of  light  or  sunshine  is  too  trying.  Inverted  pots  placed 
over  the  growths  answer  the  purpose  well.  After  a  few  days  the 
