490 



Cider Factories in Germany. 



and German fruit have some bearing on the use of water in 

 macerating. 



The largest German factory visited, that of the Freyeisen 

 Brothers, Frankfort, is possibly the largest in the world. Its 

 annual output is about 25,000 hectolitres (660,000 gallons). The 

 working equipment consists of one grinder, a large number of 

 mash tubs in which the pulp is macerated, 22 presses (six of 

 these hydraulic), teams, tools, &c. Astaff of 160 labourers is 

 employed. In this factory, and also in most of the smaller 

 German factories visited, the fruit is washed before grinding, 

 usually by dumping it into a great vat of water and elevating 

 it from this to the grinder by a screw rotating in a half- 

 cylinder. 



The workmen carry the apples from the bins in wooden 

 vessels resembling tubs, holding about a bushel, and dump them 

 into the washing vat. The pulp is taken in similar vessels as it 

 falls from the grinder and carried by the workmen to the 

 macerating vats. From these, after maceration for about twenty- 

 four hours, it is again filled into the tubs and carried to the 

 presses. The prsssure is applied slowly, and the pulp is allowed 

 to drain a long time. Then the pomace is cut up fine, put into 

 another press, and re-pressed without addition of water. The 

 third and last pressing is accomplished at 250 atmospheres. No 

 further use is made of the pomace. The specific gravity of the 

 must averages about i'050. 



The methods of handling the must are now to be considered. 

 The pressing of the pomace, as explained above, generally occurs 

 on the ground floor immediately over the cellar. To this first 

 cellar the fresh must is conducted through rubber pipes, either 

 oy gravity or by pumping, and is put directly into the great 

 casks in the fermentation room. 



It is the German custom not to fill the casks so full that there 

 will be any discharge of froth or top lees through the bunghole, 

 6 or 8 in. of clear space being left in the top of each cask. As 

 soon as a cask in the fermentation room is filled, it is fitted 

 with the ventilating funnel. Nearly all good cider factories are 

 provided with cellars at least two stories in depth, so that the 

 room for final fermentation and storage is immediately below 

 the first cellar. 



