Analysis of Specimens of American Cider. 



257 



have never been able to see the reason of so much difference be- 

 tween English and American cider, any more than I could see 

 the reason why the wines of Palestine and Syria should not be 

 as strong as those of any other wine country ; and I have sus- 

 pected that the specimens analyzed by Prof. Beck must have been 

 the very weakest of our cider. While engaged upon the wines 

 of western Asia, therefore, I made some effort to obtain and an- 

 alyze samples of cider. And although I have not operated upon 

 as many varieties as would be desirable, and they were not ob- 

 tained from so wide a range as I could wish, yet I give the results 

 of the analyses which I have made. The specimens were all 

 procured from the farmers of Amherst or its vicinity, and in all 

 cases the cider had been kept in casks ; nor had any special care 

 been taken in its preparation. Nos. 1, 2, and 4, also abounded 

 in carbonic acid when first analyzed, and were less than six 

 months old, and could not therefore have reached their maximum 

 of alcoholic strength, so that I repeated the process several 

 months afterwards in August. And upon the whole, I feel con- 

 fident that the results do not exceed the average amount of alco- 

 hol in New England cider. 



Results of the Analysis of New England Cider. 



Nos. 3, 5, and 7, although but five months old, and those win- 

 ter months, appeared nevertheless to have nearly completed their 

 fermentation. No. 5 was from near the bottom of the cask, most 

 of it having been drank ; but it was not sour. No. 6 was from 



Vol. xlvi, No. 2.— Jan.-March, 1844. 33 



