49 



the fruit being dumpod into tiltliy ivceptaclos. und o-round and ])r('ssed 

 in a very unsanitary condition. 



In Germany there is, in the first place, much less specialization in 

 the growing and handling of cider fruits, and there appears to be much 

 less manufacturing of cider b}' small landed proprietors. Thci-c were, 

 however, small makers everywhere, but they ordinarily i)urchased 

 their fruit as miscellaneous stock from various sources, and paid no 

 attention to storing and matui'ing the same by a delinite sy.stem. but 

 ground it up as needed. 



The large factories, as J'ai- as observed, also handled the fruit, less 

 carefully than in France. It was purchased in wagonloads and car- 

 loads and dumped into great bins on the ground, covered or uncovered. 

 While, on the whole, it w\as handled in a cleaidy manner, no attention 

 seemed to be paid to keeping it dry, or to the fine points of lipening 

 the fruit. At one large factory lOO.Ooo kilos (100 ton.s) of fruit 

 arrived daily, mostly l)v carloads, and was dumped into a great open 

 bin, where the fruit lay in the open from a few inches to several feet 

 deep until wanted for grinding. 



As cider apples are an incidental and not a special croj) in (iermany. 

 it will be understood that harvesting is largely a matter of convenience 

 rather than system. The refuse of dessert fruit, together with the 

 inferior varieties and purely cider fruits, are collected as suits the 

 growers' convenience, and disposed of at the factories or manufactured 

 at home if the grower is also a cider maker, Cidei- making in (ier- 

 man}' shows a strong tendency toward the factory system, and the 

 makers have the techni(iue of fermentation well worked out. but that 

 they handle a fruit inferior to that of the French and with nuich less 

 care is certainly true. 



In England the manufacture of cider is very largely in the hands of 

 the farmers, though the factory idea is developing. One sees chiefly 

 the same old customs of harvesting and handling the fruit that have 

 prevailed for centuries. There is in general no attempt at storage. 

 The low-grade fruit (refuse from what the English c-ill "pot fruit," 

 i. e., dessert and cooking grades) is gathered in miscellaneous piles in 

 the orchard, and either ground from these piles or drawn away and 

 sold to the factories. At the best mills the fruit is graded somewhat, 

 so as to properly blend the same at grinding, but even at these the 

 fruit may be seen h'ing in heaps on the sod in the orchard or near-by 

 lots until late in Noveml)er. This practice gives to this fruit a very 

 decided earthy flavor and odor, and in some cases it is largely dam- 

 aged b}" decay. At Butleigh Court the fruit is stored in a loft over 

 the press-room, and is kept in clean, dry condition. 



A method advocated by some in England is to make temporary bins 

 in the field by using hurdles for sides and bottom, the bottom piece 

 being deviated somewhat from the ground and all lashed together as 



17247— No. 71—03 4 



