56 PRESSING THE POMAGE. 



or four days, if the weather is cool. A gentle fermentation quickly 

 begins, and within a few hours, minute bubbles rise to the top and 

 soon form a white froth there. The Carbonic Acid gas escapes 

 from these bubbles, and as it does so, it spreads over the surface of 

 the pomage to the top of the vat, and thus keeps off the action of 

 the outer air, even if left for several days. The advantages of thus 

 leaving the pomage to ferment are, that the juice, and the Alcohol 

 as it is formed from it, are enabled to extract the full flavour and 

 perfume from the peel and solid portions of the fruit, which are so 

 essentially necessary to give a high character to the Cider. The 

 common practice — becoming unfortunately more common still — of 

 pressing the pomage direct from the mill, is, therefore, dis- 

 advantageous. 



PRESSING THE POMAGE. 



" Yet even this season pleasaunce blithe affords. 

 Now the squeezed press foams with our Apple hoards." 



Gay. Fifth Pastoral. 



When a sufficient time has elapsed, the pomage is taken 

 from the vats in successive portions, and placed upon close 

 textured rough horsehair cloths, and the ends are folded 

 over. Several of these cloths thus filled are placed over each 

 other, a dozen or more at a time, and are all pressed together. 

 In Devonshire, successive layers of fresh drawn clean straw, or 

 reeds, are often used in the press instead of the horsehair cloths. 

 The press is similar in principle to that used for making cheese, 

 but its machinery of late years has been considerably improved, 

 and the whole process of what is technically called " making the 

 cheese " simplified and accelerated. The pressure should be 

 gradual at first, since the first juice runs turbid, and only the latter 

 portion clear. The juice is at once put into large hogsheads, 

 generally holding from 100 to 115 gallons each in Herefordshire, 

 but in Devonshire 50 gallons invariably. The barrels are not quite 

 filled up, a slight " ullage," as the unfilled space at the top of the 

 barrel is termed, being left. 



The barrels are placed in a draughty outside building, or a 

 cool cellar, to undergo the most active stage of fermentation. If 



