38 



Pi/ru.'i{Sorhus) domestica. — Strange to say, no modern German writer 

 on cider making appears to notice this very important fruit, so largely 

 used to tone German ciders. It is known popularly as the Speierling, 

 Speierlingbaum, Speierling crab, etc., and is a native forest tree of 

 central Europe, but was not observed in France. 



Whether it has been always intentionally planted in the orchards of 

 the Taunus or is partly wild is doubtful, for it is not usually seen in 

 the regular rows, l^ut in odd nooks here and th^re. On the borders of 

 mountain ravines it is a most beautiful and luxuriant tree 20 to 4() feet 

 high and loaded in the fall with small pyriform fruits aljout half the 

 size of Seckel pears. These become yellowish in color and fall to the 

 ground late in autumn, where, after some days, one can pick them up 

 and eat them with considerable relish; but if plucked from the tree or 

 eaten l)efore they become mellow, the result on the mucous mem- 

 branes is about the same as that of biting a green persimmon. 



This fruit is gathered in quantity just at maturity and before ripen- 

 ing begins, and it is then used to fortify the best grades of ciders. 

 Either the fruits are crushed with the apples in certain proportions or 

 are ground separately and the must added to apple must in detinite 

 proportions. The latter is believed to be the better mode of l)lending, 

 and it is the one pursued in the large establishments of Freyeisen 

 Brothers at Frankfort. They had great casks of this must in reserve 

 in a very cool cellar more than 50 feet below the surface of the earth, 

 which they were using to blend with the finest apple juice to make 

 the high-grade '■■ Speierling apfel wein." As nearl}" as could be deter- 

 mined about 1 part in 20 of this must from Sorbus fruits was added to 

 the apple juice. 



It seems astonishing, considering the great importance of this fruit, 

 that no recent writer should have treated it in the German literature 

 and that not a single analysis of the fruit or juice could be found. 

 About a century ago J. L. Grist wrote quite comprehensively of its 

 use in making wine and in blending with apple juice, but gave no 

 chemical data. It is supposedly used at present to tone up German 

 ciders in tannin, thus adding piquancy and flavor to the product. The 

 sugar content of the fruit could not ))e ascertained. Director Goethe, 

 of Geisenheim, kindly furnished an article written bv G. W. Eiche- 

 nauer, of Cronberg, Taunus, in which he discusses this fruit from a 

 gardener's standpoint, but does not give critical data on its composition. 

 He states that cider made by properly blending it with ordinary stock 

 is worth twice as much as it would have l)een otherwise and will keep 

 much longer. If it is the tannin principle alone which makes this 

 fruit so valuable, certainly it is time we in the United States looked 

 more to the selection of varieties rich in this substance or resorted to 

 wild fruits, such as the native persimmon, JJyoxpyrus inrginiana, to 

 obtain it. 



