Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1858-10-27

FTUm tIu IttgrHTH
Letter from Thomas Atheck.
CENTRAL NURSERIES, WASHINGTON Co. !
IN D :. A. a. 1c-o I

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CENTRAL NURSERIES, WASHINGTON Co.
Texas, near BRENNAN, Aug. 25. 1858.
Friend Cushing: Il have looked for you
here, now and again, ever since we began
wire.working, but as yet in vain.
One of your subscribers at Eutaw Lime.
stone county, propounds enquiries enough, in
letter received to-day, TO require the contents
of two hundred page 12mo volume to reply
to in full! Others have made like enquiries.
With your leave will answer them through
the columns of the Telegraph.
Our Eutaw friend requests me to "detaiI
the modus operandi of wine.making from the
Mustang grape; the manner of obtaining the
uice; the amount of water used, if any,"
and so on.
Although tolerably conversant with the
manner of making wine, as practiced IN the
different countries in Europe and about Gin
cinnat &C. fine that there is much to learn
from practice and experience, wit a grape
like the Mustang, newly employed for the pu--
pose, or, a least, of which we have no writ
ten experience. For my part have been
mainly locker on, this year; pupil NJ. Ge-
rard Until his experience in small way in
1856, had strong doubts whether wine
made from the juice of the Mustang would
keep IN this climate without the addition Of
spirit or of sugar which become spirit. The
wine made that year, and that too with very
ordinary means, such as tubs &c.. was excel.
lent, and kept perfectly being now sound and
good, vastly improved indeed by age. No;h.
ing was used but the juice of the grape, ex.
pressed by tramping.
This year the grapes were gathered by
pIucking off the branches with the finger and
thumb. Every second evening, the grapes
thus gathered, during the two days, were run
through one of W. U. Hickoks cider mills
(made at Harrisburg, Pa, and an excellent
machine it is for the purpose) juice, skins,
pulp and seeds all running directly into Ter.
mentng tub Fermentation commenced i'm.
mediately; the mass rising toa considerable
height, care being taken not to break the crest
or mass o: skins &c. To say what "the prop.
er temperature should be" or the "length OF
time required for fermen'ing" &c, &C., is i'm.
possible for me as yet. My cellar is 80 by
Is, and ten feet deep, with a stout roof of ce.
dar, covered with earth, and kept as cool as
possible. The time required for fevmenting
varies from 60 to so hours; and can only be
determined by The nose! The tub may lie
tapped with gimblet, and little wine drawn
off. When it runs clear and smels--well
like wine, is the best direction. it may be
drawn off and barrelled. Fill the barrel and
Law on the bung reversed, so as not to be tight
After from two to three weeks, the wine may
be drawn off clear, and still further clarified
with the white of an egg. Then when fully
settled, say in two or four weeks, it may be
bottled off, or racked of again into casks tc
remain until wanted.
Whe the wine has been drawn from the
tub, until it begins to appear muddy, stop it
then add three or four buckets of water to
each barrel of grapes in the tub, and allow an
other fermentation, when the resul: will be pi
quite or petit lcine-the most excellent drink
imaginable during warm weather; and may
be drank as soon as made. 1t will not keel
long.
These directions might be greatly extended
But the fact is that those who desire to d.
more than make few barrels for their owl
use had better employ some one in the frs
instance, who understands fully the process.
i Intend planting a vinYard, the mustang