94 DISTILLATION. 



of December. It is the opinion of some judicious men. 

 that as food for animals, the extraordinary abundance 

 of apples, has nearly compensated for the short crop 

 of corn in our great cider districts. These facts might 

 be supported by many others equally strong, to prove 

 the importance of this department of agriculture; al- 

 though strictly considered, they do not come within 

 the limits I had originally prescribed for this volume, 

 they appeared to me too important in their nature, 

 and too closely connected with the subjects I have 

 discussed, to suffer 'me to pass them over without no- 

 tice. 



A neighbour of mine, of great experience as a distil- 

 ler of cider spirit, once in the month of August distilled 

 at the rate of 16 quarts & 7 eights from a barrel of 30 

 gallons; i. e. about one 7th of proof spirit. The usual 

 quantity of spirit distilled from early cider on an aver- 

 age, is 8 quarts from a barrel it has been satisfactori- 

 ly ascertained, that 14 quarts per barrel is the usual 

 quantity obtained, from the four most celebrated New- 

 ark ciders, viz. the Harrison, Granniwinkle, Camp- 

 field, and Poveshon. 



