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 kind has its partizans. If the vats of wood are more frequently in need of repair, and more liable to be affected by changes of atmosphere, their deficiency is more easily observed and remedied, and they are free from that constant chillness incident to those of stone.

In a very warm climate, the question may be determined by the cheapuess of materials; but in colder climates, where artificial heat is sometimes necessary to aid the fermentation, wood alone should be employed.

Before the must is deposited in the vat, it should be cleansed with the greatest care, and well rubbed with warm water; and when it is of stone, it is usual to inclose it with two or three coats of lime. In Burgundy, where the vats are all of wood, it is customary, after washing with hot water, to pass a small quantity of brandy over the interior.

The ancients considered the preparation of the vat of the greatest importance; not only was it rubbed with different liquids, such as decoctions of aromatic plants, salt water, boiling must, &c, but smoked, by burning in it different perfumes.

As the whole process of vinification consists in the changes operated on the must, by the agency of fermentation, it is important to consider this subject under every point of view. We shall first, then, consider the causes which contribute to the