74 



hand-power screw press at about 40 tons pressure. The cheese is laid 

 up in cloths and well pressed, but only once, the pomace being then 

 used to feed the cattle on the place. 



The must is pumped back into the upper story and placed in open 

 tanks (here called "keeves") of about 60 to 75 gallons capacity. In 

 these the must is carefully watched, and the top lees are skimmed off 

 until the cider reaches a state of limpidity which warrants racking off. 

 At this stage the liquor is drawn off in pipes to the lower room and 

 either placed directly in casks for maturing or run through the Invicta 

 filter, according to circumstances; that is, if the cider can be drawn 

 clear, it is best run directly into casks, but, if ''troubled," it is filtered 

 and then run into casks. The storage casks range in size from 100 to 

 250 gallons. 



In this small factory all the critical data which should govern the 

 technique were observed, as, for instance, the chemical composition 

 of the fruit and the specific gravity of must at grinding and at each 

 stage of fermentation. A most elaborate cellar record is kept of the 

 casks in the storage rooms and regarding the results of bottling at 

 various times. It is too soon to speak positively of the lessons to be 

 learned from these examinations and observations, but it is certainly 

 by such observations and studies that the knowledge of the subject is 

 to be advanced. 



The product sampled at Butleigh Court was of fine quality but, as 

 elsewhere, there were ' ' misses " in some cases. Accommodations for 

 accurate cellar work are needed. 



PRODUCTION OF THE MUST. 



The appliances used in reducing the apples to pulp and expressing 

 the juice therefrom have already been described. Yet several impor- 

 tant points in relation to the production of the must remain to be 

 discussed. 



RIPENESS OF THE FRUIT. 



The ripeness of the fruit, or its condition in relation to those obscure 

 processes which go on after maturity in the pome fruits and bring 

 them into their most favorable condition as to quantity of sugar and ' 

 quality of juice, is a very important consideration in this connection. 

 It was especially noted in the French factories that they did not grind 

 the fruit until it was in perfect condition as to ripeness, but com-\ 

 paratively little attention was paid to this matter in the German and 

 English factories visited. 



The important fact that the sugars in fruits increase to a maximum 

 point, which is doubtless reached at or near the stage of perfect ripe- 

 ness, ought not to be lost sight of either in cider or vinegar work. 

 There are, however, very few valuable data concerning the composition 



