Cider Factories in France. 161 



ially by those concerns which manufacture large quantities of 

 cider, is to bring the fruit quite promptly into the lofts over the 

 cider mills. This was the only house-storage method observed 

 in France. 



A characteristic of the French cidreries is the almost total 

 absence of cellars. This is the rule in France, while just the 

 opposite is true of Germany. 



The simplest method of describing the better class of French 

 factories is perhaps to take a single cider factory as an illus- 

 tration. The best type of factory examined in the French cider 

 country was that of an Agricultural Union at St. Ouen-de- 

 Thouberville, a short distance from Rouen. This establishment, 

 built and operated upon a co-operative plan, is a model in its 

 mechanical appointments, and the technique of its operations 

 seemed to leave little to be desired. 



In total dimensions the building is approximately 300 ft. long 

 by 100 ft. wide. To the rear of the main operating room of 

 the ground floor one can step up a few feet into the main fer- 

 menting room, or down a few feet into a half-cellar, used for the 

 finishing process of fermentation and for storage. The surface 

 of the ground slopes from the front to the rear of the building, 

 so that this lower room ends at ground level. This gives an 

 important advantage in the ease with which the finished product 

 can be loaded on trucks for . transport. 



The operation of this factory will be better understood by 

 following the usual course of the fruit and must as they pass 

 through the several processes to the finished product. The carts 

 laden with apples in sacks enter the shed in front of the factory, 

 and by a hoist, operated from the main shaft within, the fruit is 

 lifted to the second floor, where it is weighed and put in bins 

 -according to variety and quality. These bins cover nearly all 

 the second floor, and are only 18 in. deep, strict rules as to 

 methods of storage being observed. With the fruit thus dis- 

 tributed it is possible to observe critically its condition and to 

 grind as it comes to proper maturity; also the careful distribution 

 in accordance with the quality makes it easy to blend the fruit 

 so as to produce any desired grade of must. 



When ready to grind, the fruit is measured to the machine in 

 proper proportions. The grinder stands at the floor level of 



O 



