THE farmer’s MANUAl.. 
97 
clean sand, after the manner of a leach, and place a 
large strainer, or sheet, or table-cloth over the hogs- 
head, to strain out the pumice,) where it remains 
about two days, according to the state of the weather, 
and the nature of the. apple, (the longest when frosty, 
or cool weather,) till a thick head, or scum, rises upon 
it. Then 1 draw off a little into a glass to see if it is 
fine, ?ind as soon as 1 catch it so, I rack it off with- 
out delay into open vats, or into hogsheads. 
juice is racked into vessels larger at top, than the bot- 
tom, and 1 rack it off as soon as fine, I need not take 
off the head, or scum, it will not mix with the cider; 
but if the cask is straight, or I have neglected to draw 
oft’ until the cider begins to become foul again, I find 
I do best to take off the head with a wooden skim- 
mer, and then draw off as soon as possible. 'When- 
ever the brown head begins to open in the middle, or 
elsewhere, and a v/hiteness appears at the openings, 
I am certain it is time to begin to draw off; but ! 
find from experience, that tlic surest token is to ob- 
serve its state by what is drawn off in a glass, and 
this method should be closely attended to. 1 have 
drawn a glass of cider out of a vat at 8 o’clock, foul ; 
another at 10, fine, almost candle bright, without any 
appearance of the heads opening, as above observ- 
ed: at 11, it was growing foul fast, without high 
winds, or any extraordinary event, that 1 could per- 
ceive, to occasion it. Il then drawn off into open 
vessels, a fresh head may arise in 24 hours, then it 
may be racked into a close hogshead, or other receiv- 
er, where it will begin to ferment after a day or two, 
according to circumstances ; 1 then permit it to fer- 
ment 3 or .4 days, (never exceeding a week, for the 
hardest fruit,) then I fumigate a clean sweet hogs- 
head, with matches of coarse cloth, dipped in melted 
brimstone, and rack off my cider into the cask as 
quick as possible. If the lermentation still goes on, 
I give it one more racking in this way, and coyer the 
bung with a tile, until I am sure the fermentation has 
