FARMER'S ASSISTANT. 57 



the following ingredients, viz, about four pounds of common 

 salt, and one of allum, added to a mixture of water with 

 Cowdung fresh droped from a Cow (no other will answer) ; 

 put the whole in a pot and heat it almost to boiling, stiring 

 it constantly ; pour it thus heated into the cask, and shake 

 it well, turning it round on every side, and continue shak- 

 ing it every hour or two, taking out the bung while shak- 

 ing, lest it burst. 



< When its contents have become cold, pour them out, 

 and rinse it clean ; then pour in some hot water, in which 

 about two pounds more of salt, and one of allum, have been 

 dissolved; shake the cask well on every side, as before, 

 and while the water is yet warm pour it out; drain the 

 cask, and bung it up tight, till wanted for use. 



* This (says Mr. L.) will not only make the cask perfect- 

 ly sweet, but will even restore wine to sweetness again $ 

 that has been injured by being put in a musty cask/ 



When casks have more or less of a sour smell, Mr. 

 ISHommedieu directs to take at the rate of about a pint of 

 unslacked lime lor a barrrel, put it in, and pour in three or 

 four gallons of hot water, or more for a larger cask ; shake 

 it well on every side, giving it some vent, as before meu 

 tioned; let it stand till cooled, and then rinse it with cold 

 water. Repeat the operation, if the cask does noi then 

 smell perfectly sweet. Most probably, a suitable quantity 

 of wood-ashes would more effectually eradicate any sour- 

 ness in the cask. 



After it has been filled with the liquor, the next process 

 is the fermentation, and this is a matter of some nicety. 



There are three fermentations; the vinous, the acid, and 

 the putrid. When the first ceases the second begins, and 

 when that ceases the third begins. The first is only neces- 

 sary for cider, and care must be taken to stop all further 

 fermentation, as soon as this is over. This is known by the 

 liquor ceasing to throw up little bubbles to the top. Then 

 loo all the pumace is raised Mp, and, if suffered to remain 

 there, will again sink to the bottom and render the liquor 

 turbid. Let this time then be Carefully observed, and let 

 the liquor then be drawn off, not too closely, and put into 

 other clean casks, or bottled, closed tight, and set away in 

 a cool cellar. Let a gallon of French brandy be added to 

 every barrel. 



But, to further improve it, let it undergo a further ope- 

 ration, as follows: As you draw off the cider from the 

 first casks, put it into fresh ones, filling each about three- 

 quarters full, and set them away till Winter; at which time 

 let them be exposed to the frosts, until one- half or even 

 two-thirds of the contents of each are frozen ; give the li- 

 quur some vent while freezing ; draw off the unfrozen part, 



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