A hand power cider mill of the olden style that leaves hali the juice in the 

 pomace. Pomace is a valuable fertilizer 



The hydraulic power press takes out the last dror of juice and worKs quicKIy 

 One bushel of apples gives four gallons of cider 



pan or boiler with enough water to come 

 two-thirds of the way up the bottles. This 

 will give a water bath, and is preferable to 

 having the juice in the vessel to which the 

 heat is applied directly. A cushion like an 

 old burlap sack should be placed in the 

 bottom, so that the heat will not come into 

 direct contact with the glass. The juice 

 must be perfectly free from sediment, is 

 heated thoroughly, then the bottles are sealed 

 and kept in a cool place. 



Cider may be preserved by boiling down 

 till it is considerably thicker, and be diluted 

 with water afterward, but it will not be like 

 the original as a beverage. 



Cider may also be made into excellent 

 jell}- by boiling it down until of such a con- 

 sistency that it will jell when cold. In this 

 shape, it may be kept almost indefinitely, is 

 very toothsome and wholesome, and there 

 is generally a good sale at satisfactory prices, 

 for any surplus. Jelly may be made from 

 the pomace, by adding water, re-pressing, 

 and boiling down to the proper consistency. 



This method of adding water and re- 

 pressing is practised by many for the purpose 

 of making vinegar. The product obtained 

 is sometimes called ciderkin. I was told 

 that some vinegar makers press the pomace 

 seven times, but that the vinegar obtained 

 from the last pressings is pretty poor. 



A product of cider sometimes made in 

 New Jersey is apple jack, otherwise known as 

 cider brandy. This is not to be recommended. 



The pomace, as disposed of in some mills 

 after the cider is made, is a nuisance. It is 

 left in huge piles to ferment and decay, to 

 the annoyance of neighbors and passers by. 

 A small mine of wealth exists in this pomace. 

 Besides the uses mentioned, it is valuable for 

 feeding cattle, and excellent as a fertilizer. 

 It contains considerable potash besides the 

 humus which is needed by most soils. It 

 should be drawn on the land in the fall, and 

 may be spread then or at any time when not 

 frozen during the winter. A thick coating 

 will do no harm. I have just seen a piece of 

 corn and potatoes, and a field of clover which 

 was seeded after wheat, to which pomace 

 was applied, and notwithstanding an unpre- 



cedented drouth, the rank growth showed 

 the value of the pomace dressing. 



Vinegar making, as generally practised 

 on the farms, is a comparatively, simple 

 operation. The old vinegar barrel is simply 

 replenished at intervals with sour cider, and 

 kept in a warm place. Time is depended 

 upon to do the work. The acme of per- 

 fection in vinegar is considered to be that 

 four years old, but such is generally too 

 sharp for any ordinary use. 



To make cider into vinegar quickly two 

 things are necessary — heat and exposure to 

 the air. If you have no vinegar barrel to 

 start with, get a clean cask, rinse it thoroughly 

 with hot vinegar and partially fill it with 

 cider. Leave the bung out, but cover the 

 bunghole with coarse cloth or wire cloth, to 

 keep out insects. If possible to do so, it 

 will hasten matters to arrange the barrels so 

 that the cider will trickle slowly from one 

 barrel to another, thus giving greater expo- 

 sure to the air. 



Another method is to fill the casks about 

 one-third full of pure, strong cider vinegar, 

 adding a couple of gallons of cider. This 

 addition is repeated at intervals of a week or 

 so, till the casks are two-thirds full. This 

 should be good vinegar in a very few weeks 

 more. Then half of it is drawn off and the 

 process repeated. In summer it is better 

 to keep the casks in the sun. Good cider, 

 well racked off or strained, is essential to 

 good vinegar. Some people have an idea 

 that the addition of water to the cider is a 

 help in making vinegar. Such is not pure 

 vinegar, but is adulterated, and its attempted 

 sale in some states would get the seller in 

 trouble. Vinegar sometimes becomes too 

 sharp to suit some tastes, but it is the con- 

 sumer's privilege to dilute it. New York 

 State requires, I believe, 4J per cent, of acetic 

 acid in vinegar offered for sale. But vinegar 

 may contain this amount of acid, yet not be 

 good vinegar. In that State, too, there are 

 restrictions on the sale of vinegar, which 

 must be complied with. 



Various other vinegars, variously known as 

 White Wine, Pickling, Corn vinegar, etc., 

 may have the required amount of acetic 



134 



acid, but no other vinegar except that made 

 from cider contains malic acid, the natural 

 acid of the apple which is a valuable element. 

 In the commercial vinegar-making estab- 

 lishments, the cider is pumped to the top of a 

 tower, whence it flows down over an arrange- 

 ment of shelves that retard its progress, and 

 expose it to the air. It is said that good 

 vinegar can be made from sweet cider by 

 this method in a few days. Whether this 

 vinegar is as wholesome as that made in the 

 farmer's usual slow way is a question. 



Natural Bulb Planting 



THE best effects from spring bulbs in 

 front of shrubbery will be realized by 

 planting the bulbs irregularly rather than in 

 set lines. Take the bulbs in your hand and 

 letting them fall on the ground, as shown in 

 the accompanying illustration, plant them 

 just where they fall naturally. Do not mix 

 the different bulbs, "but plant each kind in a 

 patch or colony by itself. 



Drop the bulbs on to the ground and plant them 

 where they fall to maKe natural looKing colonies in 

 the foreground of shrubbery, etc. 



