4S2 
CYDER. 
scum, and cyder will also sometimes do ihe 
same: sometimes it is intentionally prevented 
from doing it. 
After having remained some time in the 
termenting-vessel, the liquor is racked er 
drawn oh' from the lees, and put into fresh 
casks. In this part of the operation also Mr. 
Marshall complains greatly of the little at- 
tention that is paid to the liquor. The ordi- 
nary time for racking perry is before it has 
done hissing, or sometimes when it begins to 
emit fixed air in plenty. The only intention 
of the operation is, to free the liquor from its 
ficculencieSjhy a cork placed at a little distance 
from the bottom, after which the remainder is 
to be filtred through a canvas or flannel bag; 
this filtred liquor differs from the rest in 
having a higher colour, having no longer 
any tendency to ferment, but, on the con- 
trary, checking the fermentation of that which 
is racked oft ; and if it loses its brightness, it 
is no longer easily recovered. A fresh fer- 
mentation usually commences after racking, 
and if it becomes violent, afresh racking is 
necessary in order to check it, in consequence 
of which the same liquor will be racked off 
five or six times: but if only a small degree 
of fermentation takes place, which is called 
fretting, it is allowed to remain in the same 
cask, though even here the degree of fermen- 
tation which requires racking is by no means 
determined. Mr. Marshall informs us, that 
the best manufacturers, however, repeat the 
rackings until the liquor will lie quiet, or 
nearly so; or if it be found impracticable to 
accomplish this by the ordinary method of 
fermentation, recourse must be had to fumi- 
gation with sulphur, which is called stumming 
the casks. For this fugimation, it is neces- 
sary to have matches made of thick linen- 
cloth, about ten inches long, and an inch 
broad, thickly coated with brimstone for 
about eight inches of their length. The cask 
is then properly seasoned, and every vent, 
except the bung-hole, tightly stopped ; a 
match kindled is lowered down into the cask, 
and held by the end undipped until it is well 
lighted, and the bung driven in ; thus sus- 
pending the lighted match within tire cask. 
Having burnt as long as the contained air will 
supply the fire, the match dies, the bung is 
raised, tire remnant of the match drawn out, 
and file cask suffered to remain before the 
liquor is put into it for two or three hours, 
more or less,- according to the degree of 
power the sulphur ought to have. The li- 
quor retains a smell of the sulphureous acid ; 
but this goes off in a short time, and no bad 
effect is ever observed to follow. 
In some places the liquor is left to ferment 
in open casks, in which it stands till the first 
fermentation is pretty well over ; after which 
the froth or yeast collected upon the surface 
is taken oft", it being supposed that it is this 
yeast mixing with the clear liquor which 
causes it to fret after racking. The fermen- 
tation having totally ceased, and the lees sub- 
sided, the liquor is racked off into a fresh 
cask, and the lees filtred, as above directed. 
Our author mentions a way of fermenting 
fruit-liquors in broad shallow vats, not less 
than five feet in diameter, and little more than 
two feet deej), each vat containing about tw r o 
hogsheads. In these tiie liquor remains until 
it-lias done rising, or till the fermentation has 
nearly ceased ; when it is racked off' without 
skimming, the critical juncture being caught 
before the yeast falls, the whole sinking gra- 
dually together as the liquor is draw n off. In 
this practice also the liquor is seldom drawn 
off a second time. 
Cyder is made of three different kinds, 
viz. rough, sweet, and of a middle richness. 
The first kind, being usually destined lor 
common use, is made with very little cere- 
mony; if it is but cyder (says Mr. Mar- 
shall), and 1 has hotly enough to keep, no mat- 
ter for the richness and flavour. The rougher 
it is the further it will go ; and the more ac- 
ceptable custom has rendered it, not only to 
the workmen but to their masters. A palate 
accustomed to sweet cyder, would judge the 
rough cyder of the farm-houses to be a mix- 
ture of vinegar and water, with a little dis- 
solved alum to give it roughness. The me- 
thod of producing this austere liquor is, to 
grind the fruit in a crude under-ripe state, and 
subject the liquor to a full fermentation ; for 
the sweet liquor, make choice of the sweeter 
fruits, mature them fully, and check the fer- 
mentation of the liquor. To produce liquors 
of a middle richness, the nature of the fruit, 
as well as the season in which it is matured, 
must be considered. The fruits to be made 
choice of are such as yield juices capable of 
affording a sufficiency both of richness and 
strength ; though much depends on a proper 
management. Open vats, in our author’s 
opinion, are preferable to close vessels ; but 
if casks are used at all, they ought to be 
very large, and not filled ; nor ought they to 
lie upon their sides, but to be set on their 
ends, with their heads out, and to be filled 
only to such a height as will produce the re- 
quisite degree of fermentation ; but in what- 
ever way the liquor be put to ferment, Mr. 
Marshall is of opinion that the operation 
ought to be allowed to go on freely for the 
first time, though after being racked off any 
second fermentation ought to be prevented 
as much as possible. ■ 
V. Correcting, provincifclly called doctor- 
ing. The imperfections which art attempts 
to supply in these liquors are, 1. Want of 
strength. 2. Want of richness. 3. Want 
of flavour. 4. Want of colour and bright- 
ness. 
The want of strength is supplied by bran- 
dy, or any other spirit, in sufficient quantity 
to prevent the acetous fermentat.on. The 
want of richness is supplied by what are ge- 
nerally termed sweets, but prepared in a man- 
ner which our author says has never fallen 
within his notice. To supply the want of 
flavour, an infusion of hops is sometimes 
added, which is said to communicate an 
agreeable bitter, and at the same time a fra- 
grance ; whence it becomes a substitute for 
the juices of the rinds and kernels thrown 
away to the pigs and poultry, or otherwise 
wasted. The want of colour is sometimes 
supplied by elder-berries, but more gene- 
rally by burnt sugar, which gives the desired 
colour, and a degree of bitter which is very 
much liked; the sugar is prepared either by 
burning it on a salamander, and suffering it 
to drop as it melts, or by boiling it over the 
fire (in which case brown sugar is to be used) 
until it acquires an agreeable bitter, then 
pouring in boiling water in the proportion of 
a gallon to two pounds of sugar, and stirring it 
until the liquor becomes uniform: a pint of 
this preparation will colour a hogshead of cy- 
der. Brightness is obta nod by a mixture of 
9 
the blood of bullocks or sheep, that of swine 
being rejected, though it does not appear U> 
be more unfit for the purpose than either of 
the other two ; the only thing necessary to be 
done here is, to stir the blood well as it is 
drawn from lire aliimal, to prevent the parts 
from separating, and it ought to be stirred 
both ways for a quarter of an hour : the li- 
quor, however, is not always in a proper con- 
dition for being refined with this ingredient, 
on which account a little of it ought fre- 
quently to be tried in a phial : a quart, or 
less, will be sufficient for a hogshead. After 
the blood is poured in, the liquor should be 
violently agitated, to mix the whole inti- 
mately together: this is done by a stick slit 
into tour, and inserted into the bung-hole, 
working it briskly about in the liquor until 
the whole be thoroughly mixed ; in about 24 
hours the blood will have subsided, and the 
liquor ought instantly to be racked off, as by 
remaining upon the blood even for two or 
three days, it will receive a taint not easily 
to be got rid of. It is remarkable that this 
refinement with the blood carries down not 
only the fivculencies, but the colour also, reu- 
dering the liquor, though ever so highly co- 
loured before, almost as limpid as water. Isin- 
glass and eggs are sometimes made use of in 
refining cyder as well as wine. 
VI. Laying up, or shutting up the c\der in 
close casks, according to Mr. Marshall, is as 
little understood as any of the rest of the 
parts ; the bungs being commonly put in at 
some certain time, or in some particular 
month, without any regard to the state the 
liquor itself is in. “ 1 he only criterion (says 
he) I have met with for judging the critical 
time for laying up, is when a fine white 
cream-like matter first begins to form upon 
| the surface. But this may be too late ; it is 
probably a symptom at least of the acetous 
fermentation, which, if it take place in any 
degree, must be injurious : yet it the casks be 
bunged tight some criterion is necessary ; 
otherwise if the vinous fermentation have not 
yet finally ceased, or should recommence, 
the casks would be endangered, and the li- 
quor injured, Hence, in the practice of the 
most cautious manager, whose practice I 
have had an opportunity of observing, the 
bungs are first driven in lightly, when the li- 
quor is fine, and the vinous fermentation is 
judged to he over ; and some time afterwards, 
when all danger is past, the casks are filled up, 
and the bung driven securely with a rag, and 
botli rosined over at top. Most farmers are 
of opinion, that after the liquor lias done fer- 
menting, it ought to have something to feed 
upon; that is, to prevent it from running into 
the acetous fermentation. For this purpose 
some put in parched beans, others egg-shells, 
some mutton -suet,” &c. Mr. Marshall does 
not doubt that something may be useful, and 
thinks that isinglass may he as proper as any 
thing that can be got. 
Yik Bottling. This depends greatly on 
the quality of the liquors themselves: good 
cyder can seldom be bottled with propriety 
until a year old ; sometimes not till two. 
The proper time is, when it has acquired the 
utmost degree of richness and flavour in the 
casks ; and this it will preserve for many 
years in bottles. It ought to be quite fine at 
the time of bottling, or if not so naturally, 
ought to be lined artificially with isinglass 
and eggs. 
