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A New Market for English Cider. [Jan., 



The object of this article is to draw attention to a new market 

 for export trade which, by reason of its situation, offers few, if any, 

 of the objections which arise in the case of most other markets 

 abroad. In dealing with a product like cider, there are certain 

 factors to be considered which determine largely the possibility 

 or success of an export trade in that article. The most im- 

 portant, perhaps, are the facilities for export, the length of 

 journey and the time occupied, the extremes of temperature 

 to which the article is exposed during the journey and after 

 arrival at its destination, the demand — either existing or capable 

 of being created — for the article, and the price commanded. 



The market thus referred to is Holland. An endeavour will 

 be made to show, by an examination in turn of each of the 

 points just mentioned, that it offers opportunities for trade 

 probably unequalled by any other market abroad. 



The demand naturally comes first for consideration. The 

 place of cider as a beverage is intermediate between that of 

 wine and beer. It is practically apple wine and, like all other 

 wines, is characterised by possessing qualities of a fruity nature, 

 which are due to the character of the raw material or fruit. 

 Unlike wines made from grapes, pure cider, by which is meant 

 cider made from apple juice, without any additions, is dis- 

 tinguished by the comparatively low percentage of alcohol which 

 it contains. In this respect, therefore, it resembles beer. In 

 fact, the average English cider does not as a rule contain much 

 more than half the amount of alcohol contained in beer. In 

 another respect also it resembles beer more than wine, in that it 

 is usually more or less an incompletely fermented liquid, still 

 retaining a certain amount of sweet and therefore ferment- 

 able material, while a typical wine is practically completely 

 fermented. Thus cider as a beverage possesses the fruity 

 character of a wine with the limited alcoholic strength of a 

 light beer. It appeals, therefore, to those who desire a drink of 

 the character of a wine and not of a malt liquor, and yet wish 

 to avoid the alcoholic strength of the former in favour of some- 

 thing not heavier than the latter. The demand for cider depends 

 mainly on this class in a country where wine and beer of ex- 

 cellent quality are both easily obtainable and' comparatively 

 cheap. 



