144 CULTURE AND MANAGEMENT 



covered from the dews and rain, about fourteen 

 days; in which they heat, and throw off a great 

 proportion of their indigested and insipid water, and 

 ripen more uniformly than while on the tree. They 

 must not be ground while they are wet, either from 

 the rain, the dew, or from the moisture thrown out 

 by the heat produced by their laying together. 

 The finer the apple is ground, the more it will 

 yield. If the mill is well fitted, it crushes the seed, 

 and gives a peculiar aromatick bitter to the must, 

 which becomes more and more distinguishable as 

 the cider is longer kept. Some prefer this flavour; 

 others dislike it, not distinguishing it from the bit- 

 ter of the rotten apples, although very different from 

 that pungent bitter, both in taste on the palate, and 

 effects in the stomach. If straw is used in forming 

 the cheese for the press (cloth made of hair is best, 

 but very expensive) it must be clean from rust ; for 

 there is no liquor which more readily imbibes and 

 betrays offensive tastes than cider. Too hard press- 

 ing on the cheese, before it is sufficiently closed, 

 presses out the pulp with the must, and it is in all 

 cases necessary to return the first running on to the 

 cheese, until you perceive it free from pulp. If 

 you choose a pale cider, the pumice must be press- 

 ed as soon as possible from the mill : the colour is 

 raised by exposing it longer, and in greater surfaces 

 to the air. The aptness in cider to imbibe foreign 

 tastes, renders an exact attention to your vessels of 

 great importance. New vessels, made of seasoned 

 oak, do very well ; but those that have been used 

 are better, provided they be kept sweet and clean. 

 To effect this, when a cask is empty, rinse it with 

 cold water immediately, otherwise the lees will sour. 

 and fix an acid that can hardly be removed; and if 

 long continued, dries on the staves so hard as to re- 

 quire much labour in scrubbing it off: in this case, 

 it should be white-washed with lime, and after a 

 few days washed again : when it is rinsed perfectly 



