■290 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



[April 8, 



*^*We are under the jreat mortificatioa of stating that, 

 in the confusion incident to the removal of a prinling 

 offict., the comcnunication which is begun upon the pre- 

 ceding page, has been mislaid, and must consequently 

 be deferred. 



From the Mass. ^igrkuUural Repository. 



CIDER. 



The following remarks have been sent to us by a friend 

 to whom they wore addiessed with an injunction not 

 to use the uame of the writer. They are plain and 

 practical, and although much has been written on 

 the subject, yet we have not generally (we mean 

 our farmers) adopted any of the valuable hints which 

 ■we have repeatedly given on the subject. The 

 Christian Society at Canterbury, New Hampshire, 

 have been able to prepare their cider, and send it 

 sixty miles to Boston market, where it has brought 

 the price often dollars per barrel. Could not our 

 farmers nearer to this great market prepare their ci- 

 der equally well, and send it for sale in a perfect 

 state ? Could they not also thus prepare it for their 

 •wn consumplion ? if they could do so, by adopting 

 the following simple plan, would they not do more 

 to check the inordinate use of spirituous liquors 

 than by any other means ? Are they not aware that 

 the farmers of New Jersey, with no greater advan- 

 tages than Ihey pospr-fs, do prepare their cider in 

 such a manner, as that is sent to the West India 

 and other foreign markets, and that it supplies our 

 own navigators with a wholesome and pleasant bev- 

 erage ? The hint as to drawing off the casks by a tin 

 syphon, which is explained in the following extract 

 appears to us valuable. We would simi..'y add, that 

 three years' trial has satisfied us, that by the simple 

 process of passing or running through sand, pure 

 sand (where it can be had,) so far purifies the cider, 

 that the fermentation is never afterwards too violent, 

 and that no further drawing off is needful. Let 

 both plans be fairly tried — they cost no money, and 

 and very little labour. — Editors. 



which means a quantity of scnm and sediment 

 is left behind, ami the cider is parli^illy jmrified ; 

 at the same time, the excef^iva tcTmenlatinn. 

 (as it will herealter lie noticed,) is prc'venfed. 

 If the Ic's of the svphon he fastened into the 

 bung holes of two c.i=ks, by means of pieces of 

 a hollozv cylinder of soft wood or of cork, cut 

 conically on the outside, and split into several 

 parts luugltudinally, adding rags or clay at each 

 bung hole, to close it up more ccmpletely ; 

 lime and trouble will be saved ; and the escape 

 of ardent spirit and fixed air be lessened, as 

 well as the communication with the outward 

 air. Bv this simple method, a large number of 

 casks are easily racked ofl in succession ; care 

 only being taken to keep the rags, clay, and 

 syphon, sweet. Nor does the above operation 

 require the aid of more than one or two emp- 

 ty barrels in addition to the casks containing 

 the cider ; for each cider cask as f.isl as it is 

 emptied, is to be immediately scalded, that it 

 may lake its turn in receiving the puritied ci- 

 der. 



Secondly. At the time of bottling the cider, 

 (say with us in April, or perhaps a little later,) 

 the racking by the syphon is completed. The 

 benefits are as follows : — There is a fresh 



prevent the cider having needless intercourse 

 with cominon air. 



Sixthly. 'J"he cider in every case is to be 

 kept in a cool and dark cellar, free from cur- 

 rents of air; for ihe sun's light, even when 

 coming from retiecled rays, has some little 

 warmth in it; and air operates more speedily 

 on the temperature of bodies when moving in 

 a current. 



Lastly. Fresh barrels for each year's cider are 

 unnecessary, since old barrels ;\re free from the 

 ta=te of new wood; and, with good hoois, will 

 serve during several seasons. But in this case, 

 the casks when first emptied, ought to be rins- 

 ed with boiling water, and then drained; then 

 to have their hoops slightly loosened, and the 

 bungs restored, but not too closely ; and after- 

 wards to be kept where the air is sweet and 

 Jry. \Vhen wanted again in the fall, they must 

 pass under the cooper's eye, and have u new 

 scalding with lime water. 



A few rem irks will now follow in addition to 

 Ihe above statement. 



First. If the lees of the cider act as a ferment, 

 (which 1 presume will be admitted,) then 

 when the cider tends to excessive fermentation 



To 



Hallo-ji'ell, A'ov. 25, 1824. 

 , Boston, 



. I the natural cure is to give it an additional rack 



removal ol scum and sediment, which larther ,^^. ^^,,^5^^ ^^.^^^ ,p ^^^^^ ^.j,,^ experience 

 brightens the cider, (so that no freezing, at least j,^,^^ . .j^^ ^.-^^^ thi^view is so far from be 



with us is needed ;) nothing is bottled which is .^^^^ .^,^^^^,^ successful, that Mr Thomas Andrew 

 useless; no brandy is emp oyed, and yet ^w ; ,^^_ ^^^ „-^.^,,^ „^,^j j, ,^._^ ^^ ^-^^^ -appeared K 

 botllesburstorcorksfly ; the liquor sulTers ''I- ' increase the evil ; and others have conceivet 

 by shaking in the bottle, will commonly be good 1 ^^^ ^^^^ ^^.^. ,g^^, ,„ .^, ^ider 



on the second day, for the beneht ol small , ^^^ j, ^j^^^ ^.j^^-j „,,^g^ ;, i,as undergone a cer 

 hoiiseholders. | tain amount of fermentalion ; but it is doubtfu 



Ihtrdly. A second racking with the syphon , ,^^^^ ^.^^ j^ j^ ,^ ^^^ opposed to fermentation i. 



MY DEAR SIR, 



On the I'lth of June I look np my pen to 

 write to you on the subject of cider, and vias 

 interrupted ; but 1 hope that it is not too late 

 in some respects, even for the present season, 

 to resume the object I had in view. 



The process as to managing our cider, to 

 which you have referred is very simple ; but 

 since the 21ft of last month one of your Agri- 

 cultural Committees, at Brighton, reported that 

 " no cider sufficiently good to be entitled to 

 the first premium lor this article had been eK- 

 hibiled ;'' and since some cider is said to have 

 been sold in Boston, last season, at ^10 per bar-, 

 rel, (apnareiilly because little that was good 

 presented itself,) the following statement may 

 still be acceplalile. 



In Ihejirst place, the early making of liquor 

 ■was taught to me many years ago by yourself; 

 and the benefit of it has been farther ascertained 

 by the testimony of others, (as the late Mr. 

 William Coxe, of Now Jersey,) and likewise 

 by my own experience. When the first fer- 

 mentation of cider has advanced sufficiently to 

 have cracks i'otmed in the scum at its top, (or a 

 short lime afterwards,) a tin syphon is applied 

 10 draw of the liquor into a second cask ; by 



is proper, eien lor liquor drank out 0/ ilie cask 

 for as rum and sediment ought never to be drank, 

 the sooner the remains of these are removed 

 the better ; particularly as these articles seem 

 to act as a ferment, and hasten the decomposi- 

 tion of the cider. Accordingly, it is a matter 

 of fact, that cider when double racked, will 

 keep longer in the cask, than when single 

 racked ; and it is also true, that it will be long- 

 er good upon draught, as a consequence of its 

 keeping longer good in the cask. Its keeping 

 well on the draft will be still more certain, if 

 the vent peg be sparingly used ; or if Ihe vent 

 hole be sliul either by a weight or a spring, in- 

 stead of a peg, where there is carelessness in 

 the dravving. 



Fourthly. Unless the cider be free from sedi- 



Ihe first instance. Currant wine improve 

 when jwured upon the lees of Madeira wine 

 and ot4ier wines are commonly thought to im 

 prove for a time on their o-j^n lees ; but as fer 

 ment.ilion has its stages, and lees also may havi 

 (/(f?V stages, it is better to confine ourselves will 

 precision in the present instance to tacts wi 

 know. The diircrence in Ihe management 

 common cider and \'irginia crab cider, spokei 

 of by Mr Coxe, confirms this caution.) 



Secondly. As to the lees of common cider 

 Mr Coxe makes a singular nsserlion, at p. G8 

 namely, " th;\t the Ices of the cider may bi 

 put into small [triangular] bng=, (such as an 

 used for Jellies,) Infiltrate; and the liquor fron 

 thom will become bright. ['['Iiis] may then bi 

 relurnerl to Ihe cask; in which it will have tin 



mcnt, it ought never to be moved without r.ick 

 ing; for, if the good and bad parts of the cider be ! p'^<'':t "f ruL:vF.NTiNG a second fermentation. I 

 brought a second lime into contact, they may I seeibs (he says) to undergo a considerabli 

 form a new union, and call for anew separation, ' change in the progress of filtration ; its colon 

 which it may not always be easy to procure. j becomes deep; its lasle, harsh and flat; and i 

 Fifthly. Our bottled cider is packed in binns, | has a Mrong tendency to become acetous." Bu 

 in sand; the sand being moistened, and Ihe hot- j he adds, that "should it, iVnm any canse. be 

 ties placed upright. The bottles are thus I come acetous or sour, in that case, it must no 

 strengthened; Ihe corks are kept swollen; Ihe I on any account be put into Ihe cask." Of Ihi 

 sediineni falls to the bottom; and Ihe effect of j practice I have myself no experience, though 

 sudden changes of temperature, which might | hope to know something more about it by mean 

 produce internal motions in the cider, is pre 



vonti'd. Moreover, I may add on tlie sul'ject of 

 boltling, that our practice is to keep the bot- 

 tles open for a day or two before they are cork- 

 ed; audit is perhaps useful to leave a little 

 room, (clear of liquor,) below the cork, that the 

 Gxed air, or carbonic acid gas, escaping from 

 the liquor, may have a space where it can re- 

 main salely by means ot n little compression, 

 either lo reunite in time with the liquor, or 



of a trial. In Ihe mean time, I would ask 

 whether this Jittered liquor does not contain ; 

 large proportion of the juices of the skin, seeds 

 cove, and stalk of the fruit, which may assist ii 

 preserving the juice of the pulp.*" 



Thirdli/. Our own cider, which you have com 

 mended ("or its resemblance lo champaign, ^vhel 

 first m.ulc, is sullicienlly rich to the lasle ; am 

 yet in general beconies /(ij/ir, when it h.is beei 

 treated as above mentioned, (whether it bi 



