Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1817-09-30
AGRICULTURAL.
ESSi I No. S.
on ClDER-MAKING.

l ~ sAbisfs-Autthi4fIs
rs this business now demands our alter
ton, we offer few directions for doing ii,
with the hope they may be both seasonable
and useful. For the substance Of this num-
Der, We are indebted 10 several writers whose
works have been before the public.
To make good Cider and have II remain
50, requires considerable experience and
care the labour, however, is trihing. In
the first place, the fruit ought to be good--let
the frst. dropping unripe and worm eaten APP
pies, be picked and given TO the swine.
These do not add 10 the quantity Of cider, but
injure it very much. Never gather apples
until they are fully ripe, or when wet with
the dew or rain !, but be careful to do it when
they are perfectly dry. When gathered, put
them on a floor that is not made TOO close,
that the air may circulate through them let
il be ina cool dry place, having a covering
over head, but better If the sides be open.
Spread them so they may be not more than
twelve or fourteen inches deep, lest they
heat and spoil here lei them remain till they
are thoroughly mellow, when they should be
ground, as rotten apples ruin cider. This
should be done in the after part OF the day,
and the pomace remain in the vat over night.
Be careful the mill be not too close, as crack
ing the seeds will give the liquor bitter taste
Early in the morning after the fruit is ground
the pornaee is to be laid in cheese; in do
ing which, no iron or tin utensil ought to be
used Let no water be put into the pomace !;
but provide yourself with clean straw and wet
in the juice which is in the vat After the
cheese is up. leave it to settle for an hour, af
ter which, put on the covering but press it
down very gently, if you wish to have the
cider fne--thirtysi hours is little time
enough to press the cider out of cheese ca
pablo of producing twelve barrels, and so in
proportion. 1t should now be strained as
clear as possible through fine sieve or strain
er, washing. of the pulp with clear water as
often as it collects. Some persons who pre-
tend 10 be well skilled in Cider-nak ing, run
il through sand, but others are of opinion thai
this robs the cider of its richest particles.
Our author and other writers on this
subject whom we have peruscd, have said
nothing respecting grinding the pomace after
II has been through The operation Of The first
pressing. By dong this, about one fourth OF
the quantity obtained by the first pressing,
may be saved and Of a superior quality.
After the cheese is pressed and cut down as
usual, il should be taken down and the straw
separated from the pomaee it may then be
ground, a person tending the mill to feed il
with the pomace. The cheese may be put
up second time, with or without straw. lii
doing this particularly the first time, care
should be taken to drop the pomace as near
the centre Of the curb as possible, leveling II
down equally on ali sides not pressing one
side harder than the other
Our labour and expense will be lost after
We have gone thus far, unless we have sweet
casks to put the liquor in.-New vessels are
preferred to cid ones, the latter however viii
answer very well il seasoaably attended to-
When cask is empiied, rinse ii mined afeIy
with cold water, Otherwise The lees will sour
and TX an acid tha. can hardly be removed,
and II long continued, dries on the slaves SO
hard, as to require much labour in scrubbing
it oft. In this case, it should be white washed
with lime, and after few days washed again ;
when it is rinsed perfectly clean with cold
water, pour into hogshead al least six gal
Ions OF boiling wafer. Roll and shake tbe
water to every past Of the cask, 50 as to heat
on all sides. Then pour out the water, and
| lay The cask exactly bung downwards, the
water running clear and entirely off the heat
in the cask will remain sweet and iii for use
the following season. 1t is best to inspect
each Cask before YOU iii it. This is done by
fixing a wire three feet long 10 candle, and
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