The Must Scale Or Saccharometer


The most suitable one now in use is the _Oechsle's_ must scale,

constructed on the principle that the instrument sinks the deeper into

any fluid, the thinner it is, or the less sugar it contains. Fig. 32

shows this instrument, "which is generally made of silver, or German

silver, although they are also made of glass. A, represents a hollow

cylinder--best made of glass, filled with must to the brim, into which

place the
must scale B. It is composed of the hollow float _a_, which

keeps it suspended in the fluid; of the weight _c_, for holding in a

perpendicular position; and of the scale _e_ divided by small lines

into from fifty to one hundred degrees. Before the gauge is placed in

the must, draw it several times through the mouth, to moisten it--but

allow no saliva to adhere to it. When the guage ceases to descend, note

the degree to which it has sunk; after which press it down with the

finger a few degrees further, and on its standing still again, the line

to which the must reaches, indicates its so-called weight, expressed by

degrees." The must should be weighed in an entirely fresh state, before

it shows any sign of fermentation, and should be free from husks, and

pure.



This instrument, which is indispensable to every one who intends to

make wine, can be obtained in nearly every large town, from the

prominent opticians. JACOB BLATTNER, at St. Louis keeps them for sale.



The saccharometer will indicate the amount of sugar in the must, and

its use is so simple, that every one can soon become familiar with it.

The next step in the improvement of wines was to determine the amount

of acids the must contained, and this problem has also been

successfully solved by the invention of the acidimeter:



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