154 CIDER, 



HOW TO CLEAN CIDER CASKS* 



Casks made of good seasoned oak, iron bound, and 

 well painted, may be used for many years ; but no part 

 of the management of cider is more essential than to 

 keep the casks perfectly sweet and clean ; without 

 which, it is impossible to have good cider. When a 

 cask having contained cider, is emptied, it must be 

 thoroughly rinsed with cold water immediately, or oth- 

 erwise, the lees will sour, and fix an acid that can hard- 

 ly be removed ; and if long continued, dries on the 

 staves so hard as to require much labour in scrubbing 

 it off: in this case, it should be white-washed with 

 lime put about one pint of unslacked lime into a bar- 

 rel, to which pour three or four gallons of boiling wa- 

 ter, shake it well, giving it vent ; let it stand till cool, 

 and rinse with cold water ; if it still retains the sour 

 smell, let the operation be repeated. When it is rinsed 

 perfectly clean with cold water, pour into a hogshead at 

 least six gallons of boiling water, roll and shake the 

 water to every part of the cask, so as to heat it on all 

 aides ; then pour out the water and lay your cask ex- 

 actly bung hole downwards, the water running clear 

 and entirely off, the heat in the cask will dry it perfectly. 

 In this state, bung it up as carefully as if filled with 

 your choicest liquors, and return it to the cellar and 

 it will remain perfectly sweet and fit for use in the 

 following season. // is best however, to inspect each cask 

 before you Jill it. This is done by fixing a candle to a 

 wire, three feet long, and letting down the candle 

 through the bung hole into the cask, you can then see 

 every part of the inside distinctly. If it is clean and 

 tight, it is not best to rinse it again with water. 



STUMMING CIDER CASKS. 



Take strips of canvass, or linen, or cotton rags, a- 

 &out two inches wide, and twelve inches long, dip the 



