86 



as can be safely accomplished without disturbing them. If this spigot 

 can be furnished at the outer end with a hose connection of proper 

 size the liquor can be run directly to the cask designed for second fer- 

 mentation in those buildings where successive cellar stories are used. 

 In this case it is necessary to fit a glass bulb into the hose so as to 

 watch the condition of the liquor as it flows. If the must is transfer- 

 red to vessels on the same level a pump is generally used. The French 

 makers commonly place spigots in all vessels employed for fer- 

 mentation work. These enable them to note precisely the condition of 

 the must without disturbing the lees. The large casks should also be 

 uniformly fitted with manholes in order that they may be readily 

 cleaned after use. 



THE CHARACTER OF THE MUST. 



On bringing the must into the casks or vats for fermentation, it is 

 of prime importance that the operator should know its composition as 

 nearly as may be. To determine this accurately is the work of a 

 chemist, but at no factory visited was there evidence of the employ- 

 ment of a chemist for this purpose. True, a number of the proprie- 

 tors are themselves analysts. 



USE OF DENSIMETERS. 



Everywhere in Europe the makers use, with more or less care, some 

 form of must spindle or densimeter for estimating the sugar content of 

 the juice. Those most commonly used are the ordinary specific gravity 

 spindle, the Oechsle spindle (which, in fact, is the same thing with the 

 first two figures on the left omitted), and the Beaume must spindle. 

 The last is not a convenient form of spindle, as may be seen from 

 Table XI. Its degrees do not permit of ready comparison with other 

 standards. 



It is the custom to take the density of the fresh must on one of these 

 spindles and mark the result on the casks. Some makers keep a record 

 of the casks by number in a cellar book, and enter not only these data, 

 but notes on the fruit used, the character of the fermentation as it 

 progresses, and all subsequent readings of density and manipulations 

 of the cider. Also the records of temperature of the must and cellar 

 are kept. Without some such system intelligent control of the work 

 is impossible. 



The following table gives a comparison of the readings of the three 

 spindles mentioned, the proximate percentages of sugar at the different 

 densities, and the approximate percentage of alcohol which will result 

 from its fermentation at each reading of the densimeter: 



