103 



was not bright at first racking. Many makers filtered at first racking- 

 and put the cider down in casks to await hottliijg or preparation for 

 transport in other vessels. 



The writer invariably found the ordinary finished German ciders 

 poor in color and flat in taste to the American i)alate. They partake 

 of the character of very light still wines, devoid of the piquancy and 

 astringent character ordinarily expected in ciders. This does not alter 

 the statement heretofore made that German makers produce a standard 

 article of rather more definite character than those produced in the 

 other countries visited, and the}^ champagnize their ciders in a quite 

 perfect manner. 



PRESERVING CIDER IN STORAGE. 



In the German cellars great care is taken to sulphur and double sul- 

 phur the casks, esiDecially as the cider is drawn from one to another in 



Fig. 20. — Device for maintaining- covering layer of carbon dloxid as cider is withdra\vn. 



a nearly ''drj^" condition. They also resort largely to the employ- 

 ment of carbonic acid gas as a preservative. This is applied from 

 cylinders of carbon dioxid either to barrels to fill up the vacant space 

 as the cider is drawn (fig. 20), or to charge the cider in storage (fig. 21). 

 A cylinder of this kind may be attached to several casks at once so 

 that the overflow of gas from the first goes to the second, and so on. 

 As soon as the first cask is sulHcienth' charged, it is disconnected and 

 tightly bunged, and the operation is continued by adding other casks 

 to the circuit and dropping ofl' those charged until the work is com- 

 pleted. The bungs used while charging with gas are double per- 



