92 Manufacture and Preservation of Cider and Perry. 
than that which received none ; but it was exceedingly strong. I 
am therefore disposed to recommend the adoption of a good 
system of manufacture, rather than the use of sugar or spirit, to 
add an unnatural strength to. cider. 
In this essay I have very freely stated my views, in the hope, 
already expressed, that the attention of others may be drawn to 
the subject, which is well worthy of the attention of the farmers 
of Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire. I am 
satisfied that the quality, and consequently the market value, of 
cider may be very much improved ; but at the same time I must 
add that the personal superintendence of the master is imperatively 
necessary ; for the first and last rule, as regards cider-making, is 
for the master to attend to it himself and not leave it to his men. 
In conclusion, I will give the system pursued by Mr. Hill, of 
Egleton, near Ledbury, who took the prize at Hereford, in 1859, 
for the best hogshead of cider, and is noted for producing first- 
class cider. He says, " the best sorts of fruit are the Royal 
Wilding, Foxwhelp, White Beech Normandy, Yellow Styre, 
Handsome Mandy, and Skyrme's Kernel." 
He uses mixed sorts of apples ; and when these are mellow 
they are well ground in an old-fashioned mill. The liquor is then 
strained, put into a cask, and racked as soon as fermentation 
takes place, and this is done again on every appearance of 
fermentation. After some weeks, if it is not bright, an ounce 
of isinglass is added, and this is repeated once a fortnight until 
the cider is quite as bright as sherry wine. 
On each occasion of racking, the sediment or grounds are placed 
in tubs, mixed with some albuminous substance, and dropped 
through some bags ; a canful, or sometimes two, of these drop- 
pings is put to each cask after it is racked. Some hogsheads 
require three doses of isinglass, &c. ; others not half as much. 
This, of course, depends upon its fermentation. Cider, to be 
rich and full in the mouth, fit for bottling, should be allowed to 
ferment as little as possible. 
By these means he has made cider and sold it as high as 5s. 
per gallon. He also told me that, as many of the old sorts of 
apples are going out, it is considered that they may be renewed 
by continual regrafting upon young stocks. Thus, take as good 
a graft as you can get, and put it on a good thriving stock ; and 
then in a year or so take another graft from this and put it on 
another stock, and so on. He has tried some three or four suc- 
cessive graftings in this way, and each time the tree shows 
more energy than the preceding one. 
Balliiigham Hall, Boss. 
