lo June. 1909.] Cider Making. 347 



CIDER MAKING. 



/. Kiiiglit, Fruit Expert. 



Cider is the pure juice of the apple and, in man) parts of the world, 

 is used as a bexerage. In the county of Dexonshire, few farmers are with- 

 out their cider orchard ; the\ take pride in the quality and quantity of their 

 products. I'rue Devonshire cider is recognised in most parts of the world, 

 and justly so, but unfortunately it is not all good that is made there. In 

 many cases proper skill and care are not bestowed upon it in its manufac- 

 ture and after treatment, and no doubt, the same remark applies to other 

 counties of England, such as Somerset and Herefordshire, where cider is 

 -extensively manufactured. Soil, climate, &c., determine to a great extent 

 the character of this product, but skill and care are equally important 

 factors in dealing with it. 



Mr. J. M. Trowlbridge, who has written an excellent treatise on cider 

 making in America, which is available in Victoria, makes a statement in his 

 introduction, which is equally applicable to this State. He says: — "Good 

 cider is a much greater rarity than good wine, which, all will admit, is 

 scarce enough. Few Americans have ever tasted a perfect cider. This is 

 a strange fact in a country so blessed as this with an abundance of apples, 

 and where the general intelligence and inventive genius of the people are 

 so great, and where all the necessary mechanical appliances have been 

 brought to such high perfection and convenience that the older nations seek 

 after and copy them ; yet, with all these advantages three- fourths, yes, 

 probably nine-tenths of all the cider made, is utterly spoiled, either in the 

 process of making or immediately after becoming cider, and is totall\ unfit 

 for human consumption as well as entirely unmerchantable." 



It may be pointed out that the orchards of this State are unlike those 

 in the old country, in that they are young and produce a much more succu- 

 lent article than the old established orchards of Devonshire, Herefordshire, 

 or Somerset, and we may add of Normandy and Britanny, the chief cider 

 producing provinces of France, where the character of the \arions apples 

 is known. 



Until some system is adopted for ascertaining the chemical constituents 

 of our product, I fear we shall not be able to produce cider of the same 

 character, by adopting the treatment followed by the countries referred to. 



In France, where it is said that the amount of cider manufactured 

 equals half that of the wine, and is estimated at 620,211,200 gallons, cider 

 making is conducted on the most scientific principles. In America also, 

 cider is verv largely manufactured, and has become a very popular 

 beverage, and large quantities are exported to England. 



Australia is equally favourable for the growth of apples for this pur- 

 pose, but the climatic conditions are less favourable for its manufacture, 

 and greater care is necessary in manipulating the juice. I am acquainted 

 with the practice in Devonshire, and ha\e seen the same system adopted in 

 this State, but the result has not been as satisfactorv as desired, and this 

 is easilv accounted for, as the high temperature experienced necessitates 

 extreme care in all the various stages of fermentation and after treatment. 

 Our temperature requires that cider should contain a much higher per- 

 centage of alcohol to give it the keeping qualities necessary for the ordinary 

 •cellarage provided here. Apples of the right class for cider making are 

 not grown here and those that are available must be properlv tested to give 

 the best results. It must be borne in mind that Victorian orchards have 



