NEW E]\GL,AI¥® FARl^j-^Mi. 



Published hy John B. Rdssell, at J^o. 52 J^orth Market Street, (at the Agncullural ff'areliofise).-,T homas G.FESSEyotK, Editor. 



roL. yiii. 



BOSTON, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1829. 



No. 11. 



AGRICULTURE. 



)unevolcnt kindness of 3Ir Lowell, wiiose 

 le is in all gardens and orchards, I liave now 

 ;rsery of a hundred trees all on thorn stocks. 



CIDER. 



Mr Fessenden— Ihavobcen informed thattlie 

 fanners of New Jersey ferment their cider in open 

 vessels, and that particular care is taken in watch- 

 in;^ the crisis, and drawin',' oft" the liipior at the 

 right moment. I am desirous of knowing more mi 



itracts from recent letters to the Editor of the 

 New England Farmer.] 



ar Grafts on Thorn Slocks. — " Pears may be 



ed with entire success on the common wild 



1 of the country, or on the Iiawtliorn. Of | nntely than I do, the nature of the process, and es 



cions which I procured of you, and through I ])ecially how the fitness of the cider for drawing 



oft" is determined. Docs it depend on the appear- 

 ance of the cap or scum .' Are we to wait till all 

 action ceases? May the scurn be distiirheJ without 



in fine order. But further experiments are injury to the liquor ? Of what form and capacity 

 ssary : — perhaps the scions may grow too aro the vessels used for that purpose ? What situ 

 for the stocks." — G. B. JYorthumpton. ation and what teniiicratnro are considered most 



favorable to the j)rocess .' IIow long, at the ordina- 

 ry temperature of October, or at any given tem- 

 perature, before tlie liquor is sirfliciently fer- 

 mented ? I will thank you. Sir, to insert these 

 queries in your ne.xt paper, trusting that some of 

 your readers, acquainted with the process will 

 turjiish for the succeeding paper a satisfactory 

 account, and thus probably gratify many besides 

 y"»r SUBSCRIBER. 



Biifield, Seplemher 25, 1829. 



xlemarks by the Editor.— We hope the request of 

 the writer of the above will he complied with by 

 some experienced cultivator, who has added prac- 

 tice to theory. In the mean time some observa- 

 tions, chiefly derived from books may be of use. 



Loudon says {Enc. Agr. 604) " Fermentation is 

 an intestine motion of the [larts of a fermentable 

 body. This motion, in the present case, is always 

 accompanied with anevidontebiillition, the hubbies 

 rising to the surface, and there forming a scum or 

 soft and spungy crust, over the whole liquor. 

 'I'nis crust is frecpjently raised and -brelscn by the 

 air as it disengages itself from the li(iuor, and f<)rces 

 its way through it. This efl'ect continues while 

 the fermentation is brisk, hut at last gradually 

 ceases. The liquor now appears tolerably clear 

 to the eye. and has a piijuant, vinous sharpness 

 upon the tongne. 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 cider- 

 ist must not lose sight of; for if he would have a 

 strong, generous, and. pleasant li(pior, all further 

 sensible fermentation must be stopped. This is 

 best done hy racking otF the pure part into open 

 vessels, which mn.sthe placed in a more cool situ- 

 ation for a. day or two ; after which it may again 

 be barreled, and p'raced in some moderately cool 

 situation for the winter. The Herefordshire cider 

 farmers, after the cider has perfected its vinous 

 fermentation, place thei-i- casks of cider in open 

 heds throughout the winter; and when the spring 

 advances, give the last racking, aiu) then cellar it. 

 In racking, it is advisable that the stream from the 

 racking cock he small, and that the receiving tub 

 he but a small depth below the cock, lest by ex- 

 iting a violent motion of the parts of the licpior, 

 another fermentation he brought up. The fecu- 

 lence of the cider may be strained through a fil- 

 tering bag, and jilaced among the second rate ci- 

 ders ; but hy no means should it be retiu-ned to 

 the prime cider. In this situation the cider will, 

 in course of time, hy a sort of insensible fermcnta- 



irge Milive Grape. — " A Swiss emigrant, poor 



ndustrious, who resides near this place, last 



transplanted a vine of the common white fox 



e from the forest to a spring-house near his 



ling. Yesterday I obtained some of the 



es produced by this vine. By the transplant- 



ind slight attention which has been paid to 



culture, they have been remarkably improved 



jse, and somewhat meliorated in ([uality, though 



retain the peculiar flavor of their species. 



of them weighed 153 grains, and measured 



iches in circumference, and generally they 



iiotlar short of this. Some of our vigntrons 



li ve, that by proper culture, grafting, and prun- 



1 &c. a valuable grape may be produced from 



variety." — S. Jf. York, Pa. 



lie Silk Culturist. — "I shall soon arrange the 

 !rials for my second number of the Silk Cul- 

 t, which will contain three views of the man- 

 nent of Silk worms; one by the old or 7ialu- 

 iclhod ; the second by the new artijicial or Dan- 

 and the last, by Eleclricity, my own plan, 

 pe that my humble endeavors may be encour- 

 . The business of raising silk is by no means 

 ate, nor difficult: but the question is to obtain 

 ^} by it that should be profitable ; to do which, 

 iin principles and conditions s^re to he well 

 ided to. In relation to siiclj principles and 



""litions, one single error is fatal: — in other 

 Is,' there will be no profit. 

 The object of my method, wlilch I call electrical, 

 iring no costly apparatus or machinery, is, to 

 !gard the vicis.>;iiudes of temperature, of oc- 

 inal damp weather, a great number also of 

 f c^res. — I have made a singular discovery, 

 jly by chance : — it is that of a vertical hurdle, 



"Ivhich the worms can spin much better than 

 rush-wood, and never waste their silk." 



Felix Pascalis, .Vmv York. 



nighVs Tlicon/ — Golden Pippin. — " I send you 

 sket of Golden Pippins, which are very fine 

 season. My trees are loaded, and it will at 



show that the Golden Pippin hns not run out 

 is country, if it has in Emoi)e : * I can trace 



two of my trees tliat have been imjjorted 

 ty years, and I have no old trees that have 

 thier tops or make more new wood-" — G. P. 

 ■i -htoji, Sept. 25. 



; lee New England Farmer, volume iv, pages 2i;-2, 

 &c. 



tion, not only drop the remainder of its gross lees, 

 but will become transparent, highly vinou.s, and 

 fragrant. 



According to Knight, after the fermentation has 

 ceased, and the liquor become clear and bright, it 

 should iusrantly be drawn oft", and not sufl"erud on 

 any account again to mingle with its lees ; for 

 these possess much the same properties as yeast, 

 and would inevitably bring on a second fermenta- 

 lion. The best criterion to judge of the jiropnr 

 moment to rack oft] will be tlie brightness of the 

 liquor ; and-this is always attended with e.Mernal 

 marfes, which serve as guides to the cider nudii.T. 

 The discharge of fixed air, which always altcnds 

 the progress of fermentation, has entirely ceased,, 

 and a thick crust formed of fragments of the re- 

 duced pulp raised by the buoyant air it contains, 

 is collected on the surface. The clear liquor 

 being drawn oft' into another ca.<k, 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 effect, in some measure, of preventing a 

 second fermentation It appears to have under- 

 gone a considerable change in the process of filtra- . 

 tion. Its color is remarkably deep, its taste harsh 

 and flat, and it has a strong tendency to become 

 acetous ; probably by having given out fixed, ancl 

 absorbed vital air. Should it become acetous, 

 which it will frequently do in forty-eight hours, it 

 must not on any account be put into the cask. If 

 the cider after being racked oft" remains bright 

 and quiet, uothing more is to ho done to it till the 

 succeeding sjiring : but if a scum collects on the 

 surface, it tnu.ej, immediately he racked oif into- 

 another cask ; as thfs would produce bad etfi;,cts 

 if suftercd to sink. If a disposition to ferment 

 with violence again appears, it will be necessary 

 to rack oft" from one cask to another, as'often as ji 

 hissing noise is heard. The strength of cider is- 

 much reduced by being frequently racked oft"; but 

 this arises only from a larger jiortion of sugar' 

 remaining unchanged, which adds to the svi'eet- 

 ness at the expense of the other quality. The 

 juice of those fruits which jn-oduce very strong 

 cider often remains muddy during the whole win- 

 ter, and niiifh attention must freipieiitly be paid to 

 prevent excess of fermentation." 



Dr Anderson, a celebrated British writer, author 

 o( Recreations in ^^giiculture, &.C. &c. gives the 

 following directions for cider niakiVig. 



" I should first tell you that my orchards are 

 upon a clny soil, which I think conduees much to 

 the goodness of niy cider. I will be short in my 

 practical account, making hut few observations,, 

 and leave the curious to draw speculative reflec- 

 tions from it. I permit njy fruit to remain on the 

 trees, until a great part fills by riiieness ; then 

 gently shaking tlie trees, lake the afiples in dry 

 weather, laying them in heaps of equal ripenes.s, 

 in a loft over my p!-es.s. There tliey remain till 

 I hey have perspire I, and the persjjiralion ceases.. 

 As toon as convenient, afterwards, I grind my 

 a])pli!s, anil press out the juice ; if it casts a pale 

 color, I sufler the pulp to stand 12 or 24 hours, 

 which will lieighten the color of the juice. As 

 soon aa it is sxpressed, J pour it uilo vats, through 



