21 



Ijoiling water. In a word, to produce the finest flavoured cider, tlie 

 farmer must be neat in his operations, as his wife is in her dairy. 



But although all the precceding rules should be carefully obser- 

 ved, in gathering, mellowing, sorting and grinding the apples, and in 

 pressing out the cider, — success is not to be expected, unless par- 

 ticular attention be given to the first fcrmeniation. — If the cider- 

 maker were to put thirty gallons of cider directly from the press, 

 into a tub, he would see a scum of pomace rising to the surface, 

 in a few days (more or fewer, according as the weather is cool or 

 warm) and forming a close crust. This crust will soon after 

 crack, and show a white froth at the cracks. Immediately the 

 cider must be separted from this crust, either by skimming off 

 the latter, very carefully, to avoid precipitating any of it down 

 through the cider, — or, (what is better, by drawing off the cider 

 without touching the scum) by a tap previously fixed near the 

 bottom of the tub; taking good care, also, that no part of the lees 

 run off: for while the lighter parts of the pomace rise to the sur- 

 face, the heaver sink to the bottom. — If the cider be fermented 

 in casks, these should want a gallon or tw^o of being full. No 

 harm will be done by exposing so much of its surface to the air; 

 for, as in the open tub, it will soon be covered with a scum or 

 crust; which being inspected at the bung-hole, the precise time 

 for racking may in like manner be seen. Should a fresh fermen- 

 tation occui', a second drawing off will be requisite. In Decem- 

 ber, or whenever the cider shall appear perfectly quiet, the bung 

 may be introduced. In the fore part of March, the cider should 

 be again drawn off, and with special care that no part of the lees 

 mix with it. Then it is to be closely bunged up, in full casks. 



After apples are ground, the pomace should remain exposed to 

 the air, in open tubs or vats, about twenty-four hours, before it 

 is made into the cheese to be pressed. This is known to give not 

 only a better colour, but to add to the richness of the cider. This 

 was strikeingly shown by that practical farmer and eminent na- 

 turalist, Thomas A, Knight Esq. 'now President of the London 

 Horticultural Society. He says — '' I have often extracted, "by 

 means of a small hand-press, the juice of a single apple, without 

 having previously bruised it to pieces ; and I have always found 

 the juice, thus obtained, to be pale, and thin, and extremely de- 

 fective in richness, though the apple possessed great merit as a 



