Book II. MANUFACTURE OF CIDER. 605 



fermentation is brisk, but at last gradually ceases. The liquor now appears tolerably 

 clear to the eye, and has a piquant vinous sharpness upon the tongue. If in this state 

 the least hissing noise be heard in the fermenting liquor, the room is too warm, and 

 atmospheric air must be let in at the doors and at the windows. Now, continues 

 Crocker, is the critical moment which the ciderist must not lose sight of; for, if he 

 would have a strong, generous, and pleasant liquor, all further sensible fermentation 

 must be stopped. This is best done by racking oft" the pure part into open vessels, 

 which must be placed in a more cool situation for a day or two ; after which it may 

 again be barrelled, and placed in some moderately-cool situation for the winter. The 

 Herefordshire cider-farmers, after the cider has perfected its vinous fermentation, place 

 their casks of cider in open sheds throughout the winter ; and, when the spring advances, 

 give the last racking, and then cellar it. In racking, it is advisable that the stream from 

 the racking-cock be small, and that the receiving-tub be but a small depth below the 

 cock, lest, by exciting a violent motion of the parts of the liquor, another fermentation 

 be brought up. The feculence of the cider may be strained through a filtering-bag, and 

 placed among the second-rate ciders ; but by no means should it be returned to the 

 prime cider. In this situation the cider will, in course of time, by a sort of insensible 

 fermentation, not only drop the remainder of its gross lees, but will become transparent, 

 highly vinous, and fragrant. 



3817. According to Knight, after the fermentation has ceased, and the liquor is become 

 clear and bright, it should instantly be drawn off*, and not suffered on any account again to 

 mingle with its lees ; for these possess much the same properties as yeast, and would inevi- 

 tably bring on a second fermentation. The best criterion to judge of the proper moment 

 to rack oft" will be, the brightness of the liquor ; and this is always attended with external 

 marks, which serve as guides to the cider-maker. The discharge of fixed air, which 

 always attends the progress of fermentation, has entirely ceased ; and a thick crust, 

 formed of fragments of the reduced pulp, raised by the buoyant air it contains, is col- 

 lected on the surface. The clear liquor being drawn off" into another cask, the lees are 

 put into small bags, similar to those used for jellies : through these whatever liquor the 

 lees contain gradually filtrates, becoming perfectly bright ; and it is then returned to that 

 in the cask, in which it has the eff"ect, in some measure, of preventing a second ferment- 

 ation. It appears to have undergone a considerable change in the process of filtration. 

 Its color is remarkably deep, its taste harsh and flat, and it has a strong tendency to be- 

 come acetous ; probably by having given out fixed and absorbed vital air. Should it 

 become acetous, which it will frequently do in forty-eight hours, it must not on any ac- 

 count be put into the cask. If the cider, after being racked oflT, remains bright and 

 quiet, nothing more is to be done to it till the succeeding spring; but if a scum collects 

 on the surface, it must immediately be racked off" into another cask ; as this would pro- 

 duce bad eff"ects if suff"ered to sink. If a disposition to ferment with violence again 

 appears, it will be necessary to rack off" from one cask to another, as often as a hissing 

 noise is heard. The strength of cider is much reduced by being frequently racked off"; 

 but this arises only from a larger portion of sugar remaining unchanged, which adds to 

 the sweetness at the expense of the other quality. The juice of those fruits, which pro- 

 duce very strong ciders, often remains muddy during the whole winter, and much atten- 

 tion must frequently be paid to prevent an excess of fermentation. 



3818. The casks, into which the liquor is put whenever racked off", should always have 

 been thoroughly scalded, and dried again ; and each should want several gallons of being 

 full, to expose a larger surface to the air. 



3819. The above precautions neglected by the ciderist, the inevitable consequence will be 

 this : Another fermentation will quickly succeed, and convert the fine vinous liquor he was 

 possessed of into a sort of vinegar ; and all the art he is master of will never restore it to 

 its former richness and purity. When the acetous fermentation has been suff"ered to 

 come on, the following attempts may be made to prevent the ill eff"ects of it from running 

 to their full extent. A bottle of French brandy ; half a gallon of spirit extracted from 

 the lees of cider; or a pail-full of old cider, poured into the hogshead soon after the 

 acetous fermentation is begun : but no wonder if all these should fail, if the cider be 

 still continued in a close warm cellar. To give eff"ect to either, it is necessary that the 

 liquor be as much exposed to a cooler air as conveniently may be, and that for a con- 

 siderable length of time. By such means it is possible fermentation may, in a great 

 measure, be repressed: and if a cask of prime cider cannot from thence be obtained, a 

 cask of tolerable second-rate kind may. These remedies are innocent : l)ut if the far- 

 mer or cider-merchant attempt to cover the accident, occasioned by negligence or inat- 

 tention, by applying any preparation of lead, let him reflect, that he is about to commit 

 an absolute and unqualified murder on those whose lot it may be to drink his poisonous 

 draught. 



3820. Stumming, which signifies the fuming a cask with burning sulphur, may sonJe- 

 times be advantageous. It is thus performed : Take a stripe of canvas cloth, about twelve 



