Farming of Herefordshire. 



445 



soluble gluten present into an insoluble flaky precipitate. This 

 may appear a somewhat singular remedy ; in commendation of 

 the practice it may, however, be mentioned that in France it is 

 sometimes found that wines deficient in tannin become viscid, or, 

 as it is technically termed, "ropy" — a frequent disorder with 

 champagne, owing to the mutual action of sugar and gelatine — 

 for the removal of which the above remedy has been found 

 effective. 



During the war much more attention was paid to the manufac- 

 ture of cider and perry than since its close. In fact, at the time 

 alluded to, no inconsiderable quantity of cider was employed in 

 adulterating various wines ; and much of the better sorts of perry 

 were sold as champagne. As much as 50/. per hogshead has 

 been given for perry ; — nothing like such a price has been paid 

 for many years. It may, however, be doubted whether much that 

 is imported from France, and consumed as genuine champagne 

 in this country, is not greatly inferior to what can be made from 

 our best pear and apple orchards, if due care were taken in its 

 manufacture : in place of which, the Herefordshire farmer pays 

 little attention to the quality of his cider, and little perry is 

 made, excepting the variety called Barland, which will be no- 

 ticed hereafter. This arises, in a great measure, because the con- 

 sumption is almost entirely local, the ordinary allowance to 

 labourers being at the rate of 2 to 3 quarts daily, to mowers 5 or 

 6 quarts, reapers and harvest-men as much as they can drink — 

 the latter classes are said to average 12 quarts daily. Such being 

 the ordinary consumers, the owners of orchards in Herefordshire 

 very rarely pay that attention to the making of cider which the 

 subject deserves : with the bulk of farmers, if the liquor when 

 made has body enough to keep, it is all that is looked for ; rich- 

 ness and flavour not being attended to. The absence of cheap 

 means of communication with the great midland manufacturing 

 towns, the metropolis, &c., has almost annihilated the market for 

 Hereford cider other than such as is required for domestic con- 

 sumption. The supply of cider to the great masses of urban 

 population scattered throughout England is chiefly obtained from 

 Devon and the Channel Islands ; a traffic greatly aided by the 

 cheapness and facilities which exist for its transit by sea, whilst 

 the railway communication fi'om Devon to the Birmingham dis- 

 trict is cheap and expeditious. Notwithstanding the disadvan- 

 tages just noticed, it is highly probable that, if proper attention 

 were paid to the manufacture of perry and cider, a demand would 

 spring up for these agreeable effervescent beverages greatly be- 

 yond what is ordinarily supposed ; and in this instance it is 

 indispensably necessary that supply should precede demand. To 

 accomplish this end, a neither too dry cider (such as is made for 



