Recent tmjofovements in Cider and Perry MctMng. 193 
dependent to a very great extent upon their trees for their 
livelihood, the large farmers, with few exceptions, not giving the 
subject suflBcient attention. 
The price of cider and perry, like that of everything else, 
depends upon its quality, condition, and the kind of season it 
has been, good, bad, or indifferent. At the present time the 
price of best-quality cider in cask is about Is. 6d. per gallon, 
and the same quality bottled will realise say 10s. per dozen. 
Second-quality cider, for household use, on draught, will realise 
8(^. per gallon, while ciderkin, or "purre," for farm use, will sell 
at about 2^d. per gallon, and perry about the same prices. These 
prices vary but little from year to year at the time of production 
and sending out, that is, from November to the following April 
or May ; but after bottling, prime cider of a good vintage year 
will fetch a high price. The writer has seen both cider and 
perry realise 30s. per dozen at public auction, and some cider 
and perry which had been forty years in bottle could not be 
purchased at any price. One pound a dozen is not at all an 
uncommon price for first-rate cider or perry the first season's 
making. 
Taking the orcharding on a farm at fifteen acres, this area, 
if planted in the manner described in this paper with good sorts 
of fruit, will contain about 750 trees. Of these a few, as the 
Cherry Pearmain, &c., will be of use as soft fruits, so one sixth may 
be taken from them. This would give 625 trees the fruit of 
which would be available for cider- or perry-making. Taking 
an average of years, these trees would yield 100 hogsheads or 
10,000 gallons of liquor, which at the moderate price of sixpence 
per gallon would be worth 250/. In addition to this there would 
be the soft fruit for sale, and the profit which may be obtained 
from the ground upon which the trees grow. 
It has always appeared to the writer a very great pity that, 
besides the neglect shown to the orchards, such very little 
attention is paid to provide suitable buildings throughout the 
orchard districts of England in which both the fruit and liquor 
could be stored. In both France and America they are far 
before us in this respect, every orchard farm being well supplied 
with proper buildings. In the latter country, by means of 
simple contrivances, they manage to keep their fruits at a tem- 
perature just a little above the freezing point, in such a con- 
dition that they can be placed upon the market at any time; 
and upon farms where cider and perry are made these houses are 
used for manufacturing and storage purposes. 
The writer has been favoured by Mr. H. C. Mewburn with 
the following description of the orchard and cider houses in 
Canada, which will probably be found of general interest : — 
VOL. XXIV. — s. s. O 
