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will never ferment properly. A French chemist found the loss to be about one 
and a half per cent. of alcohol in fruit that had been frozen. It is most desirable, 
therefore, that the fruit-heaps should be well protected, even if it may not be 
thought advisable to place them in some open shed or wain-house. Protection of 
the fruit from frost is as little thought of in Herefordshire as it is from rain. 
During the winters 1878-9, and 1879-80, though fruit was scarce, and both winters 
exceptionally severe, it was a rare circumstance to see the apple heaps about the 
orchard in any way protected.” 
If the Herefordshire Pomona only succeeds in inducing the cider-growers to 
make the most of their fruit by protecting it when in heaps, it will have performed 
a practical service of considerable value. Passing on we find scientific and exact 
information with regard to fermentation, and practical explanation of the process: 
and we learn that well-fermented cider of good quality should contain from five to 
ten gallons of alcohol in 100 gallons of liquor. Some exceedingly useful remarks 
are made on the difficulties of fermentation, &c. 
We lave to thank Mr, Bulmer very cordially for his valuable contribution to 
the literature of the Pomona in the articles on ‘‘ The Orchard in its commercial 
aspect.” It is at the same time practical and interesting, and perhaps the writer 
will pardon us if we extract a few of the facts which it contains. We find that 
Herefordshire has a larger acreage of orcharding than any other county in 
England, contributing 26,683 acres out of a total of 175,200 acres. The next is 
Devon with 25,758 acres, then comes Somerset with 22,933, Worcester 15,854, 
Kent 14,685, and Gloucester 14,178. Salop has 3,248 acres only. One-sixth of 
the orcharding in Herefordshire may be put down for the production of pot fruit, 
which at the low estimate of 60 bushels to the acre, at 3s. a bushel, would produce 
£39,930. The remaining five-sixths, or 22,213 acres, for the production of cider 
or perry, would, says Mr. Bulmer, yield an average of two hogsheads (200 gallons) 
an acre, which at 6d. per gallon would give £111,065, and thus, at a purposely low 
computation, the yield would beat the rate of £5 13s. per acre, while, if the best 
cider or perry was made, the profit would, as a matter of course, be much greater. 
The total annual value of the Herefordshire apple and pear crop thus amounts to 
the very large sum of £190,925. In the household accounts at Holme Lacy, in 
1662, cider is set down at 34s. the hogshead, while the present market price for the 
best quality sold by the manufacturer, in cask, is from 1s. to 1s. 2d.a gallon. It 
is a rather curious fact that in 1662, according to the household accounts just re- 
ferred to, beer cost 10s. a hogshead less than cider. 
Mr. Bulmer asserts, and with undoubted truth, that—‘‘ The condition of the 
orchards at the present time is most unsatisfactory, and the closest attention will 
be required to restore their value.” He goes on to urge as a first step the subjec- 
tion of the orchards to a thorough revision ; useless trees to be removed root and 
branch, and their places filled by good varieties; varieties which are inferior, but 
which are vigorous and healthy, should be beheaded as far from the main trunk as 
possible, and grafted with strong growing scions of well-proved kinds. 
In dealing with the question of orchard prospects, the writer adopts, on the 
whole, a favourable view, being of opinion that there is “‘Every reason to believe 
