76 



WASHING THE FRUIT. 



In many places in Germany and some places in France washing the 

 fruit before grinding was found to be largely practiced. Where the 

 fruit is actually soiled this operation is greatly to be commended, but 

 it was practiced in many places regardless of this point. To run all 

 fruit through a washing vat simply as a part of a system seems to be 

 unwarranted on several grounds: (1) It is useless in case of fruits that 

 have been harvested in a proper condition; (2) if elevated directly 

 from the washing vat to the grinder the fruit carries with it consider- 

 able water, which reduces the specific gravity or richness of the must, 

 and (3) there is every probability that washing reduces considerably 

 the yeasts present on the fruits. This under some conditions is of 

 critical importance, and needs to be considered in relation to the practice 

 of sowing the must with active yeast cultures. 



There are heard in discussion and found in the literature of the subject 

 statements about drying the fruits after washing, but this does not 

 seem to be practiced, nor was a mill seen constructed with any idea of 

 permitting the fruits to dry before crushing. If the water is not fre- 

 quently changed in the tank it will soil rather than clean the apples. 

 Fruit carrying impurities should never be stored or ground with clean 

 fruit even after it has been washed, as to do so is simply to furnish to 

 the must the organisms of mal-fermentation and other substances, which 

 will most likely prove harmful. The international cider congress held 

 at Paris in October, 1900, expressed by vote the opinion that washing 

 fruits before grinding ought only to be practiced where cleanliness 

 made it necessarj'. 



GRINDING 'OR CRUSHING THE FRUIT. 



The end in view in reducing the fruit to pulp is to make it possible 

 to extract the juice by pressure. Some fruits can be more or less per- 

 f ectty pressed without grinding, but this is not possible with the apple. 

 The cells of the apple hold their juices quite tenaciously, and must 

 be definitely ruptured. Hence the method which will most perfectly 

 rupture the constituent cells is probably the best to employ. As pre- 

 viously stated, perhaps the German "greif" mill accomplishes this 

 purpose better than those of any other type. This view was advanced 

 by German and English cider makers, and indorsed to some extent by 

 the French. 



It was everywhere stated by the best makers that the seeds must 

 neither be cut nor crushed to any extent, because their oil}- and nitrog- 

 enous constituents directly injure the ciders by contributing flavoring 

 matter of an unpleasant nature and nitrogenous substance in which the 

 organisms causing putrescence find a desirable medium for develop- 

 ment. This opinion was universally accepted in all the factories vis- 

 ited, although this view is contrary to that of the early English and 



