101 



advantag-eous, as it appears to steady the tendenc}" to too rapid fer- 

 mentation and total destruction of the sug-ar; and, V)est of all, it helps 

 to coagulate the allnmiinous matters, and thus to precipitate them, 

 carrying down at the same time other matter held in suspension. 



The dose of tannin should be about one-half a gram per gallon accord- 

 ing to French standards, but our fruit may require more for the best 

 results. This may ver\' properly be added as soon as the must is inui 

 into the vessels for the first fermentation, but it is mentioned here 

 especially as a remedy when a second troubled fermentation sets in. 

 Stir the amount of tannin needed for a cask into a small (juantity c)f 

 cider and then add to the cask, and agitate by inserting a clean strip 

 of wood and stirring- the cider thoroughlv. After treat nig a cask in 

 this manner watch it carefully and rack ofi' just as scjon as the cider 

 becomes limpid. The cider will, during this period of disturbance, 

 have fallen in specific gravity. This should be carefully noted, and 

 the liquor should be transferred as quickly and quietly as possibly into 

 a cask suitable for the still fermentation. 



The second racking off, when it occurs in normal process of fermen- 

 tation, is usually accomplished from three to five months after the first, 

 and the liquor should then have cleared out bright and fine, with l)eau- 

 tiful color, and have begun to form the bouquet of finished cider. 

 The specific g'ravity will vary from 1.001 to 1.008, and the cider is now 

 ready to go into the casks designed for transportation or into bottles. 

 The English bottle at much higher specific gravity, ))ut this would 

 undoubtedly be a wrong practice in our climate. The racking into 

 these final receptacles should be accomplished with the utmost care to 

 guard the liquor from contamination, and, if possible, the work should 

 be done in cool, bright weather with high ])ar()meter, l)ecaus(^ climatic 

 conditions affect the stillness of the liquor in the casks. 



When ready the cider can be put in barrels or casks to suit the needs 

 of the trade, but these must be cleaned in the most careful manner; and, 

 in order to secure the cider from the effect of air, the outer surface of the 

 casks should be carefully scraped to expose the fresh grain of the wood 

 and then treated to a coat of hot tallow. This, if well applied, will 

 render them quite impervious to air, and thus practically seal up the 

 cider. The modern paraffin-coated barrels would answer well for this 

 purpose. The utmost care should be observed to use perfect bungs. 

 There must be no seepage, and cloths nuist not l)e used around the 

 bungs, for these will be constantly moist, and thus furnish a direct 

 conduit for vinegar germs to enter the cider. The bungs may be verj' 

 properly dipped in l)oiling tallow or paraffin before use. 



If the cider is bottled, this should be accomplished with the utmost 

 care, taking pains to conserve the carbon dioxid in the cider, and not 

 to permit it to come in contact with the air. The corks used should 

 be the best champagne corks and may be dipped in 50 per cent alcohol 

 just as used. This will free them of germs. The}' should be inserted 



