14 THE FLORIST AND 



of quick-lime have been slacked. The soft mud at the bottom of puddles 

 may be used as a substitute for. this preparation. 



Gathering and Preserving the Fruit. — The fruit should if possible be 

 gathered in fine weather, in order that it may be dry when brought in. The 

 time of gathering varies from the end of August to the end of November, 

 according to the varieties and the locality. Before gathering, the fruit 

 should have arrived at a proper degree of maturity. This may be known, 

 especially in early varieties, by the smell, by the coloring of the seeds, and 

 also when the weather is calm by finding fallen fruit which is neither wormy 

 nor in any way inperfect. The fruit is detached by shaking the branches, 

 either by getting up in the tree or by means of a hook. Poles should be 

 employed as little as possible, and with>great care, because they break and 

 (Jestroy the fruit spurs. It is advantageous to keep each sort of Apple sep- 

 arate., in order to be able to mix them, so as to produce the best quality of 

 cider. It is of the greatest importance to shelter the Apples ; for if left 

 out of doors, the rain or melted snow carries away part of their juices, and, 

 in consequence, cider of only middling quality can be obtained. We know 

 that in years of abundance there are, in many instances, insufficiency of 

 buildings to shelter the whole of the fruit ; but it is neither difficult nor ex- 

 pensive to erect temporary sheds by means of straw mats, from two to two 

 and a half inches thick, and made of long straw squeezed between two pieces 

 of wood, which are fastened with osier or wire. Two of these mats leaning 

 against each other like a roof form a sufficient protection against rain. 

 Apples should be protected from frost, for it deteriorates them as much as 

 rain does. This is so much the easier, as at the time of the hard frosts 

 .nearly all the Apples are crushed, except those that are not ripe, and we 

 .can therefore put them in the regular buildings. If these buildings are ac- 

 cessible to frost, the best way to preserve the fruit is to cover it with straw 

 and damp cloths, as previously recommended. The manufacture of cider 

 requires more attention and cleanliness than it generally receives. Not only 

 should all the instruments and vessels used in crushing be clean and free 

 from smell, but the straw also on which the pomace is laid should be fresh, 

 ,clean, and, above, all, free from mildew. It is said that the English in 

 Herefordshire, Somersetshire, and other counties, give and preserve an 

 agreeable taste to the cider by mixing large Turnips with it. We may with 

 propriety mix bitter with sweet Apples ; and provided the former are not 

 present in too great proportion the cider is sometimes improved by the mix- 

 ture ; but when we wish to obtain cider that will keep long, we should re- 

 ject the sour Apples, as the liquor they produce is very pale, and soon turns 

 acid. Cfard. Citron. 



