18G Recent Improvements in Cider and Perry MaJcing 
Caen Society of Agriculture, and was awarded a prize for the 
same. In it he says : — 
" For all cider of tlie best quality it is not necessary that the pips should be 
bruised, as by their odour they ma»i the agreeable flavour so much admired 
by connoisseurs in those vintages ; on the contrary, for second-quality cider 
it is an advantage to bruise them, as by so doing those vintages obtain a 
bouquet and flavour they otherwise would not have. For the manufacture 
of cider destined to be converted into brandy it is indispensable. The essence 
of the pip imparts to the young brandy a flavour of noyau, -nhich after a 
time becomes decomposed into benzoic acid, and gives to old cider brandy 
that balsamic perfume so much admired and sought after by bom vivants." 
After the pulp is made it should be allowed to stand for ten 
or twelve hours, or, better still, twenty-four, if possible, before 
it is put into the press. For this purpose large wooden tubs or 
vats are used, which are filled to within a foot or eighteen 
inches of the top, and which at the end of the time mentioned 
will be found covered with a white froth. The reason for this 
operation is as follows : the juice of the fruit and the pulp 
contain, in common Tvith all other vegetable juices, a great 
quantity of sweet mucilage, which cannot be taken up by the 
act of fermentation itself, but by this initial process an albumi- 
nous substance susceptible of becoming so is foiTued, after having 
been subject to the action of the air. The operation also assists 
the colouring of the cider, as a reddish-brown colouring matter 
is developed in the cheese, which colour is imparted to the 
liquor, and adds considerably to its aroma. Provided the 
temperature of the house in which the pulp is put is not high — 
say about 40° to 45° Fahrenheit — it may be allowed to stand 
several days with great advantage, the scum which forms on the 
surface keeping off the action of the air and thus preventing 
acetous feiTaentation. 
The pulp having been allowed to stand for some twelve to 
twent}'-four hours, as above stated, will now be ready for the 
press. The press used is a modification of the ordinary cheese- 
press in use on all dairy farms, and consists simply of a frame- 
work, with a stout board at the bottom, on which the pulp is 
placed, and a stout screw at the top to apply tlie pressure. All 
being in readiness, a stout cider-cloth, made of horsehair, about 
four feet square, is placed on the board, and on this is placed 
sufficient pulp to allow the corners of the cloth to be folded over 
and nearly meet in tbe centre on the top ; over this is placed 
another lot of pulp, and so on until the press is full. In Devon 
and Somerset they put clean straw also between each layer, 
technically called the cheese. Pressure is then applied very 
gradually until the cheese is dry. As the liquor runs it is 
caught in a pail and carried to a large wooden cask, in the West 
Midland district generally holding from about 100 to 120 gallons, 
