230 MANAGEMENTOFFRUITLIQUOR. 



Thefe fkrew lever prefles are made of an 

 enormous fize, whether with one or two 

 fkrews : large enough to prefs four, five, or 

 fix hogfheads at once ! the lever being 

 equal in fize to the deck beam of a man of 

 war. Altogether an uncouth, unwieldy, 

 monftrous inftrument. 



The method of prejjing is invariably that 

 of piling up the pomage or ground fruit, in 

 '^ reed"(unthrafhed firaw) in layers ; thofe 

 of pomage being fome three or four inches 

 thick, the reed being fpread thinly over, 

 and then another thin covering is fpread 

 acrofs the firft. Under the gigantic preffes 

 above -defcribed, the pile is four or five feet 

 fquare and nearly as much in height. On 

 the top, a broad ftrong covering of wood is 

 laid ; and, upon this, the lever is lowered. 



A pile fo large, and of fo frail a con- 

 ftrufflion, requires to be prefixed with caution, 

 in the cutfet : a circumftance which renders 

 the operation extremely tedious : one of the 

 enormous " cheefes" of the larger prefies 

 taking two days to compleat the prefiing! 



The pile having acquired fufficient firm- 

 nefs, the outfides are pared off, fquare, with 



a hay 



