66 THE DIFFICULTIES OF FERMENTATION. 



The Difficulties of Fermentation. — The combination 

 of circumstances necessary for perfect fermentation, cannot always 

 be commanded by the most skilful managers ; but often, it must be 

 added, good fermentation is positively prevented, by sheer careless- 

 ness in management. The sources of difficulty are numerous. 

 The season may have been bad, and the fruit not well ripened ; the 

 varieties of fruit may be poor, with weak watery juices ; the Apples 

 may have been over-heated, or frost bitten, or crushed indiscrimi- 

 nately from the heaps ; the prevailing temperature at the time may 

 delay injuriously, or hurry on too quickly, the fermentation ; or 

 lastly, there may be a want of cleanliness in the Cider house, the 

 vats, or the implements used. Such circumstances must be 

 expected to result in the production of inferior liquor ; but yet 

 with all unavoidable difficulties, good and proper management will 

 prevent the quality of the Cider or Perry from being so bad as it 

 otherwise would have been. 



The clear knowledge that Fermentation is due to the growth 

 of certain Fungus Yeast Plants in the fermenting fluid, at once 

 affords the explanation of many of the difficulties that arise in the 

 process, and point out the means best adapted to meet them 

 successfully. Circumstances which encourage the rapid growth of 

 these plants, such as juices rich in Saccharine principle, and a warm 

 temperature, produce a quick active fermentation ; whereas their 

 watery juices, deficient in Glucose, cause them to grow so weakly, 

 that a low fretting fermentation sets in, and creates great difficulty, 

 at first to increase its activity, and afterwards to arrest it. Increase 

 of temperature becomes necessary on one hand, and low tempera- 

 ture, and the use of what are called " anti-ferments " on the other. 

 These anti-ferments are now known to stop fermentation by destroy- 

 ing the microscopic plants which cause it. Bearing these facts always 

 in mind, the difficulties most commonly met with, and the remedies 

 they require, will be better understood. 



Too Active Fermentation. — When the juice is rich and the 

 weather hot, the fermentation will soon become very active, and 

 may cause both waste and trouble by a copious out-pour from the 



