S 96 
CHAPTER XXI. 
Of clarifying Cider, and exposing it to the Action of the Air—A Ruk 
to judge of the proper Time of the last Racking. 
The principal things on which the fineness of cider de¬ 
pends, are the clarifying it in the very beginning of the process 
of preparing it, and exposing it to the open air. From these 
rules is derived the necessity of racking it, from which arises 
another practice, which to its being simple unites the valuable 
quality of diminishing the work and attendance upon it. It is 
to lay it in tubs from twenty to thirty inches deep. 
It is surprising, that so simple a method, and in use for 
beer, should not have been followed sooner. It is only within 
these few years, that a few individuals have made an applica¬ 
tion of it to cider. This practice is as safe as it is cheap. 
Pipes, puncheons, and tuns, may afford two tubs each. 
The time that cider must remain in them, is to be deter¬ 
mined from the ripeness of the fruit it was made of, the nature 
of the vessel containing it, the state of the air, and the tempe¬ 
rature of the atmosphere. 
The critical time for taking it out of the vats, will be point¬ 
ed out by its clearness, the separation of the dregs swimming 
at top, and from bubbles having ceased to rise to the surface. 
Some persons pour it out of the vat three or four times, 
while others let it work there, and are guided by the symp¬ 
toms I have just mentioned. There are some also who take 
Off the pellicle at the surface, or scum of the lees, as soon as it 
is formed,* and others allow it to fall to the bottom at the time 
of racking. But the management must be various according 
to the nature of circumstances, and the object the grower has 
in view. 
Lavoisier found by his experiments on the fermentation of sugar by 
means of yeast (V. tome 1. p. 145), that the scum was no more than the 
yeast which had detached itself. By removing it therefore the first time 
the cider is poured out of the vat, it will, in a great measure, annihilate in 
it the cause of its violent fermentation. 
If 
