326 



The Fruit and Cider Institute. [sept., 



these the cider was allowed to mature and remain undisturbed 

 until it was required for sampling and blending. 



It may be of interest to indicate here some of the general results 

 already obtained from this work, for details of which readers are 

 referred to the reports issued by the Institute. As was antici- 

 pated, cider made from a single variety of apple is not of a high 

 quality in general, but occasionally it is very good. In some 

 instances the product is unpalatable, but of such a nature that 

 it is valuable as a component of a blend. In other cases of un- 

 palatable ciders, the disagreeable features are such that they 

 lower the quality of any blend of which the cider may form a 

 part. The varieties of apples which yield the latter class of 

 ciders must be condemned as valueless or actually harmful for 

 cider-making purposes, if future tests confirm the original results. 

 Thus it may be stated that the quality of a cider depends 

 primarily on the varieties of apples used. As a result, therefore, 

 it becomes a matter of the first importance to gain an exact 

 knowledge of the characters of the varieties. 



The question arises, then, What are the characters of any 

 variety which determine its value ? At the present stage of the 

 work, there appear to be three features of primary importance, 

 viz., the chemical composition, the flavour, and the rate of 

 fermentation of the juice. Of these the flavour is probably the 

 only constant factor, the others being affected by such influ- 

 ences as the nature of the season and soil and the degree of 

 ripeness of the fruit. Further study as to the nature and degree 

 of such influences is necessary before the relative importance of 

 the individual features, as characteristic of the variety, can be 

 determined. If, however, instead of considering the variety in 

 a general manner, a single definite sample of fruit of the variety 

 be taken into consideration, it is possible to make some positive 

 statements as to the nature and degree of value of each of the 

 three characters. Dealing first with the " chemical compo- 

 sition " of the juice, it should be mentioned that this term is 

 used here in a restricted sense, with application only to the 

 three groups of substances — sugars, acids, and tannins — which 

 are generally admitted to be the most important constituents of 

 the juice. Hitherto it has been customary, both in this and 

 other countries, to estimate the value and the quality of any 



