CIDEK-MAKING. 



571 



two or three feet, on account of the habihty of the fruit to " heat." 

 If this occurs, it is accompanied by acetic fermentation; and the cider 

 will afterwards show a more or less pronounced vinegar flavour. 



Considerable practical experience is necessary to decide when the 

 fruit has been stored sufficiently long and is in best condition for press- 

 ing. The usual test is to press a number of specimens between the 

 thumb and fingers. If the flesh of the fruit yields readily to the pres- 

 sure, the apples are considered to be fit for milling, whereas if the flesh 

 is more resistant, the making is deferred. Some allowance must be 

 made for the natural differences in texture between individual varieties. 



Cider mills may be grouped into two classes, according to the 

 manner in which the fruit is pulped. The more primitive types reduce 

 the fruit to a fine state of division by first breaking up the apples into 

 coarse lumps and afterwards breaking these up more finely by means 

 of heavy stone or metal rollers. In such cases the fruit is pulped 

 by crushing. The most modern types disintegrate the apples to an 

 extremely fine pulp by means of a rapidly revolving cylinder or drum, 

 carrying rows of slightly projecting toothed knives. In these cases 

 the fruit is pulped by grating, no crushing whatever coming into play. 

 Both systems have their advantages and disadvantages, the former 

 yielding a juice of softer and fuller flavour, and the latter producing a 

 very high yield of juice and being very rapid in its action. The ideal 

 mill, which will combine the crushing and the grating actions, has yet 

 to be made. 



After the fruit has been milled, some makers prefer to allow the pulp 

 to stand in a wooden vessel for twenty-four hours or so before pressing, 

 their contention being that the quality of the juice is improved. This 

 has not been conclusively demonstrated ; but there is no doubt that the 

 juice can be more easily expressed after this period of " maceration," 

 and that the total yield is rather higher than in cases where the pulp 

 is pressed immediately. Other makers favour the latter procedure, 

 holding that any gain by the previous method is so slight as to be 

 negligible in comparison with the inconvenience and the risk of taint 

 to which the pulp is exposed by standing several hours in the cider 

 house. 



Various types of hand and power presses are in use. Before being 

 pressed the apple pulp is built up into a ''cheese." The modern 

 style of cheese consists of a series of layers of the pulp about three 

 or four inches in thickness, placed one above the other, each layer 

 wrapped in a cotton or fibre net or cloth, and separated from those 

 above and below by 'wooden racks, which are used to facilitate the 

 draining away of the juice as pressure is applied. The old style of 

 cheese consisted of layers of pulp, wrapped round and alternating with 

 layers of straw or reed. After as much juice as possible has been 

 expressed, the remainder o'f the cheese is often broken up by hand 

 and re-pressed. 



The juice, as it runs from the press, may be nearly clear and almost 



