NEW ENGLAND PARMER. 



Pablished by JOHN 15. RUSSELL, at the cnrner ofCongrrPss and Lin'Jall Streets, Boston THOMAS G. FF.SSF.NDEN, EbItoti. 



VOL.. IV. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, I82(j. 



INo. 27. 



AeRZCVI.TURZ:. 



; ;iir, until (hey ;ire mellow, which will usually] I Ii.ivc rend of ppvern! mrthod«, n'-f! partirnlnr- 



^ be in lirelve or fiflepn davs. when Ihey are car- 1 ly vf I'umicfating (he liquor in the h^irrel with a 



To the President and Trustees of the Worcester ,.ig,i („ the mill and Iheir juice expressed. In I m;ttch of'sulphur. But n^vcr bavu!>; (ricl this, 



Agricultural Socicli/ : \ gathering Ihe fiuit, great care should he taken ' I am unable to st.ite its pfTt'Cf 5. My inniliod hns 



Gentlemen- — 1 had the honour, Unt year, of lo reject all those apples which have rotted j lieen to draw off the Cider from the le<'s aa 



presenting to you, lor your examination and use, either on Ihe tree or on the ground. But if, soon as it chlains its most agroeable stale, and 



a barrel of Cider ; and the happiness of receiv-; llif>y perish under cover, free from heat and ' carry it into the cellar — iind ^^licn the cask into 



inf your approbation of its quality, and the pre*; mould their value is not at all diminished. They I uhich it is pu! is about hall full, lo add a quart 



mium you were pleased to offer. A premium. ' ^vill Iher make better Cider than they would in of sjiirils. (ei'her the spirits of Cider or new 



1 presume, from so respectable a Society, is al- ' ilieir unmellnwed stale. Against this statement rum,) to a barrel — and having filled it up, I bung^ 



•ways acceptable to the receiver, and a so/id mo- 1 which I made to you last year, I have since it closely, and then let it stand until ijie latter 



tive for him to endeavour to excel his neigh- ' r\r>ard njany objections made, and some ridicule. r.i _ r-n ,...;__ m u ...i,„„ ,• .„ j » 



bours, and if possible to obtain another. And Put I in^pute the whole to ignorance and Ihe 

 perceiving you have oflered another, I am in- ■: want of I distinguishing between an apple that 



part of Ihe foUovving March, when it is drawn 

 off again from ibe lees, and a I'ther quart of 

 spirits added. In this condition it remains un- 



duced to offer you this barrel ; not however sn i rots on ihe ground, and one that jierishes wider [ til needed for use, when it is found to be a soft, 

 much from the' hope of obtaining the proposed | cotier. While Ihe one is not fit for the pigs, the ; smooth, and agreeable drink, free from that a- 

 reward, as from a desire to awalsen my fellow {other will yield a liquor fit lor any gentleman's I ridity which is loo common to Cider, and retain- 



vement table, A very limited experiment is sufficient ! ing a goi d share of its vinous qualities. 



citizens lo a competition, and lo an improv . 



upon this valuable portion of our agricultural ; to teach any one that the decomposition of Ihe 



productions. i Jiulp and fibres of (mil does not injure its jiico. 



In your published proposals, I perceive you | t'ut rither softens and improves it. And here 



require "the succes'^ful claimant to furnish all cannot forbear to notice and reprobate the 



statement of the kind and quality of the apples. | practice of some farmers, »vho gather their ap- ^ ous, and yet so much neglected, thai it cannot 

 from which it was made, and the process ofmak- 1 pies wnd lay Ihem in large hea[is on the ground, i be loo often repeated, nor too emphalically urg- 

 ing and preserving it." In the hope of becom- 1 uhere ihey are siiflered lo lie for a considerable ed. Any person of common sense ki-ows, or 

 ing the " successful claimant,'' I will endeavour i (.mo, exposed to all the dews, rain=, and frosts j might know, upon the least reflection, that im- 



In mv communication to you last season, I 

 particularly adverted to the nece.'sity of having 

 cipan and sweet casks, in order to preserve the 

 r.ider well. The importance of this is so ohvi- 



to comply with these requisitions ; and it i? 

 presumed you will have no objections lo any 

 other observations upon the subject which may 

 be thought either instructive or useful. 



Rly apples are generally of the common 

 growth of the country, and o( different colours 

 and tastes — some very crabbed, and others nlore 



0' Ihe season. They there contract a dead dis- 

 agreeable flavour from Ihe ground, which no 

 ='«'jsequent process, within my knowledge, can 

 remove. And if any of llum ppri«li Ihere, they 

 ari not only lost, but would greatly injure the 

 w'lole mass with which they are mingled. 

 When the apples are siifiicienlly mellow. 



jiure and filthy casks will pollute and (Jeslroy m 



Ibe best liquor that can be put into Ihem. Bare- ^ 

 \\ rinsing them clean as soon as emptied, with ^ 

 cold water, is not sufiicieiit. They ought lo be 

 thoroughly s'-alded and dried in the sun several 

 days, andth^-n set by in some dry place for fu- 

 ture Use To let Ihe casks sland in the cellar, 



pleasant. About a fr)urlh or fifth part of l)vi \ ifc-y are carried to the mill, when Ihe weather [ with the lees in them until they are again need- 



production of mv orchard is sweet. Tht; grcy.i- 

 er part of these, however, I gather and press by 

 themselves, for the purpose of making wine, 

 molasses, &c. Perhaps, also, one third part »f 

 my fruit is grafted. These also are of differ. jI 

 sorts and flavors — Greenings, Russets, Pe;r 

 mains, and several others, for which we haveno 

 specific names. After separating the fairest ;nd 



» di'y and cool, and jrrouod in (he laller parJ ofi*;d, or to rr^'fr: :hern there when washed, ^ a 



(he day. The pomaf.e is left in Ihe trough un- 

 til the nexl morning, by which the juice is mel- 

 lowed, and acquires a higher colour and richer 

 flavour. And when put on the press I am in no 

 haste lo separate the Cider from the pomr.ce, 

 but prefer to express it slowly, so as to occupy 

 Ihe space of two or three days in furnishing a 



best of these for Ihe market, and for family iBe, pressing of from five to ten barrels. During the 

 the residue are thrown into Ihe general rerep- 1 whole of this process it is desirable to have Ihe 



(acle, where they comprise a fourth or fifth (art 

 of Ihe whole croji devoted to cider. He-e 1 

 l>pg leave to remark, that it is my endeavoulo 

 keep my apple trees free from those odious ind 

 disgusting vermin, Ihe caterpillar and |)alner- 

 wi rm, which, in their season, are so plenlifilly 

 scattered through our orchar<l5. 'I'hese fithy 

 and devouring vermin not only diminish, butde- 

 teriorate and poison the fruit. From longob- 

 servaiion and experience, as well as from -he 

 nature of Ihe case, I am persuaded that tlese 

 crawling and hateful vermin, when suflercl 1" 

 go at large, and cover Ihe trees with their lesls 

 and webs, which are so disgusting to everv per- 

 son of feeling and taste, not only diminish Ihe 

 quantity, but disfigure the form, and impair Ihe 

 quality of Ihe fruit, so as to render it incapalle 

 of yielding a pleasant and wholesome beverase. 

 Against these early enemies of good Cider, eve- 

 ry successful agriculturalist must and will te- 

 clare and prosecute an exterminating war. 



The apple* from which my best cider is male 

 are usually gathered alionl the middle of Ono- 

 ber, and put on an nprn baru fl.jor. where ih-y 

 are suffered to Jie, uuder a free circulatiou of 



pomace and liquor fully exposed lo a dry and 

 circulating atmosphere, which will absorb and 

 carry off the aqueous particles, and thus leave 

 Ihe Cider more pure and strong. '^I'bis is Ihe 

 best method I know of to separate the watery 

 part from Ihe Cider, and lo increase its richness 

 and strength. It is vastly preferable to either 

 boiling or freezing. 



When the Cider is put into the casks, it should 

 be strained through flannel, which may be plac- 

 ed at the bottom of the tunnel which conveys 

 Ihe liquor into (he barrel. This will separate 

 the floating particles of the apple from the li- 

 quor,and prevent its acquiring an untimely acid- 

 ity. From the press I he casks should be remov- 

 ed lo some suitable place in the open air, and 

 exposed to the rays ol Ihe sun, where they 

 should remain until the first fermentation ceases, 

 which Will usuallv he fmm eight lo twelve nr 

 fifteen days, according to the temperature of Ihe 

 atmosphere. By that lime the liquor will be- 

 come clear, and acquire an agreeable vinous 



(nzy and baj practice. The process -oi- Ihi! irsal 

 dairywniniin, in cleuning her apparalii?, might 

 leach her slovenly husband how to take care of 

 his cider casks. Iter pails and pans and tubs 

 must not only be clean, but sweet, or her milk 

 will be spoiled — just so wilh his Cider. Several 

 methods have been piactised and published how 

 to cleanse filthy and musty casks; but Ihe only 

 effectual method 1 ever knew is to pass Ihem 

 through Ihe fire, and reduce-lhrm t<i a-hes. — 

 But not only should allrnlion be paid lo the casks 

 lo have Ibeui clean and sweet; the saine clean- 

 liness should run lliroug-h Ihe whole process of 

 making and preserving Cider. The floor upon 

 uhich the apples are laid, and Ihe carl in which 

 lliey are conveyed to Ihe mill, should bo clean, 

 and the mill itself, Ihe trough, the press, and all 

 the apparatus which comes in contact with the 

 liquor, slionld be often cleansed with scalding 

 water. Cider is a very delicate juice, highly 

 susceptible of contamination from any filth that 

 mav he mingled with il ; and when once pollut- 

 ed it can be cleansed by no subsequent process. 

 The vulgar notion that Cider will work itself 

 clear, is altogether groundless. It may indeed 

 be made to look clear — but Ihe taste it acquires 

 from anv unclean substance will slill remain. — 

 Cleanliness, therel'ore, is one of Ihe first laws 

 which must be rigidly obeyed by every que 

 who would make and preserve good Cider — a 

 aw, however, most extensively and wretchedly 



taste. And here commences one of the great j transgressed. 



secrets of cider-making, which is. lo preserve 1 have often heard it remarked, Ihat there is 



it in its then agreeable state. For this purpose I a great difference in cellars, and that in some 



