ON CIDEE. 47 



taught him that the grand essentials, in making good cider, are 

 good fruit well assorted and In a proper state of ripeness, with 

 clean sweet casks and proper attention to the admission of air. 



The above statement of Mr Kimball probably contains the 

 great secret of making and preparing good cider. In the first 

 place the fruit must be good and well assorted. In the next 

 place great cleanliness should be used in making the cider, and 

 every thing which comes in contact with the cider should be 

 sweet and clean. In the third place it should be well strained 

 from the pumice and put into clean, strong casks. In the fourth 

 place particular care should be taken, that as little air as possi- 

 ble, consistent with the preservation of the cask, should be ad- 

 mitted. It may be doubted by some, whether the racking off 

 the cider in the spring was of any benefit, as they hold to the 

 opinion that cider keeps as well to remain undisturbed upon the 

 lees. Of this, however, experience is the best school master. 

 We might perhaps have supposed that the wrapping the cask in 

 woolen blankets had a powerful influence upon the liquor in the 

 cask, had not the statement informed us, that a cask under all 

 other circumstances alike, kept equally well. The only differ- 

 ence being this, that at the middle of August the cider in the 

 cask wrapped in woolen was colder than the other. The cellar 

 of Mr Kimball would not generally be considered as favorable 

 for the preservation of cider. It is of a dry sandy nature, and by 

 the first of July, generally gets warm. But perhaps Mr Kim- 

 ball has laid down the best mode which is drawn from his own 

 experience — good fruit well assorted, and in a proper state of ripe ; 

 ness, with clean sweet casks, and a proper attention to the ad- 

 mission of air. The Committee adjudge the first premium of 

 fifteen dollars to Mr Kimball, and they have purchased the cider 

 for ten dollars to be used at the dinner of the Society. The 

 cider produced by the other gentlemen was in no respect extra- 

 ordinary, and not coming up to the standard prescribed by the 

 Society ,'of superior quality, the Committee did not feel them- 

 selves authorized to award any premium. 



E. MosELEYj per order. 



