77 



American writers. The chemical analyses of seeds of pome fruits 

 indicate that the opinion is based on good grounds. The delicate 

 fruit aroma yields the bouquet desired in the cider. The oily principle 

 in the seeds tends to destroy this, and certain ly nitrogenous matter 

 is not desirable to any extent in must which is to be fermented into 

 a beverage. There is ordinarily plenty of nitrogenous matter in apple 

 must to support yeast growth. However, slightly contradictory as it 

 may seem, the French makers aim to crush the seeds for the prepara- 

 tion of ^boisson.'" 1 claiming that, as the pomace is largely deprived of 

 its aromatic constituents when the pure juice is extracted, the oil in 

 the seeds adds to the quality of this low-grade cider. 



The fineness of grinding afi'ects to some extent the facility 7 with 

 which the juice can be expressed. If the pulp is too mushy, it presses 

 badly, especially when the cheese is made up in cloths. In this matter 

 there is a proper mean, which no one seems to be able to define in an 

 entirely satisfactory manner. It is often expressed in this form, that 

 not over 2 per cent of the seeds should be cut or crushed in reducing 

 the fruit to pulp for first pressing. 



For preparing must by the diffusion process, mentioned elsewhere 

 in this report, the fruit is not ground or crushed as for pressing, but 

 it is cut or shavsd into thin slices, as it is found that with these 

 extraction by diffusion goes on more perfectty than with pulped fruit. 



MACERATION OF PULP. 



The Germans are strong advocates of maceration, i. e., allowing the 

 fruit to stand in its own juice, because by this process they believe the 

 sugar is more perfectly extracted. They claim that the juice acts upon 

 the unbroken cells and assists in liberating their liquid contents. This 

 would certainly be true if fermentation were fairly begun before 

 pressing. The writer's experience is against permitting the pulp to 

 ferment before pressing, but these questions need to be approached 

 from the standpoint of scientifically conducted experiments before 

 much can be said that is definite. 



MM. Seguin and Pailheret, at the National Agricultural College, 

 Rennes, France, have made a number of experiments in a small way 

 upon this question and they have found in every instance that macera- 

 tion increases the totals of sugar, acids, mucilage, and ash in the must, 

 but decreases the tannin, and leaves, finally, an almost colorless must. 

 This latter point is contrary to the German opinion. The French do 

 not generally practice maceration of the pulp before pressing. In the 

 writer's opinion maceration for more than eight or ten hours is liable 

 to stock the whole mass of pulp with many undesirable organisms and 

 render control of the fermentation far more difficult than it would 

 otherwise be unless the pulp is sown at once on grinding with pure 

 cultures of veast. 



