'50S OH CYDER FRUIT. 



*^ d *^ h'*"^ ^'"'-^ *^ ^^^^' underftood in the Weft, and not attended to elfewhere ; 



of cyder. '"^ *"^ ^^ "^^ ^^^^ ^ ^^^ much. Keep the liqaor in quantity to 



a good age; and I take the liberty of maintaining, that thene 



are places in Hertford (li ire capable of producing as good and 



fine cyder as any in Herefordfhire. 



I was once afked what are the impediments to a more ge- 

 neral fine crop of fruit? My reply was, the coldnefs and un- 

 certainty of the climate, injudicious planting, with inattention 

 and negle6l in thofe who have the management of it. As fof 

 planting and guarding againft cold, endugh has been faid on 

 that fubjed through the whole of my treatifes. It has been 

 obferved the cyders were better one hundred years ago than 

 they are now. That may have been the cafe; and I (hould 

 account for the difference as follows: — When the gentry and 

 fuperior yeomanry of the country depended on barley and fruits 

 to make an agreeable beverage for their friends, it is natural to 

 fuppofe that ihey perfonally fuperintended the bufinefs thera- 

 felves, and received great fatisfa6tion when their labours were 

 attended with fuccefs; whereas, when Port wines became the 

 luxury of the country, cyder, of courfe, naturally fell into 

 difufeat the better tables. Hence the mafters of families were 

 no longer zealous to produce fine potent liquor, and giving it 

 as cyder, that being affigned to inferior ufes. 



Undoubtedly, where cyder is the general drink of the 

 country, great quantities 'milfl: be raifed for that purpofe ; and 

 it is done at fo low and" eafy a rate, as to be fentfrom the mill 

 to the neighbours* cellars under three half-pence the gallon. 

 What I am attempting is, to be able to produce, at a certainty, 

 a fine generous liquor, fuch as may do credit to the name of 

 the cyderift, and which will depend much more upon attention, 

 than is generally imagined. 



After having expatiated on the old and new varieties of the 

 valuable cyder fruits, in the laft volume of the Society's Tranf- 

 a^ions, I have nothing farther to offer fot the purpofe of clo- 

 fmg file Orchardift, than to prefent my beft refpe6ls to the 

 Society, and give them the marked criterions as follow : — 



My friend, Thomas Andrew Knight, Efq. has made good 



difcriminations in his Tra^ on the Apple and Pear. Th« 



5omerfet report has further extended the fubjeft. 



, ^--'i fay, choofe an apple naturally fraall, of a whitilh colour, 



foraewhat tinged with red; of a fine yellow pulp, with a cer- 



2 taia 



