The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1879-11-01
Cider-Haking.

This is the feason of the year in which
the farmer who has a bearing apple
orchard can easily have new cider on his
table, and may experiment with keeping
few barrels of pure sweet cider through
the winter. It used to be said that cider
made In Oregon could not be kept for
any length of time, but this has often
been disproved by our best cider-makers.
The apples grown on our mountains OF
foothills make cider which will keep as
long as any in the world. With proper
care in the manufacture, and choosing
the variety of apple a good quality OF
cider can be made in all parts OF the
State.
As for varieties, it must be remember
ed that our range of climates is SO great
that the kind of apple which a good cider
maker would choose in one section, might
be rejected in an adjoining county. The
Baldwin, wherever it grows well and IS
free from black specks on the skin, is
one of the best of cider apples. Along
the foothillss and on the mountain farms
we can mention no better apple, though
the Smiths Cider and tYinesap are Of
find quality. Most persons appear to
prefer cider made from red apple. A
rather hard apple, of good and sprightly
flavor, is to be chosen.
Good cider can only be made by the
use of clean and sound fruit, such as
would be taken to market, though it need
not be quite as large. Fruit when gath
cred from the tree is dusty, and if it has
been lying in piles on the ground or in
boxes, it is apt not only to be dusty, but
also sticky from the few which have de.
cayed. We have seen apples which were
| too much soiled and bruised to be taken
comfortably into the hands, and yet were
| ground up into cider. In one memorable
case we know of, drove of hogs had,
for several weeks, been in the orchard,
roofing over and trampling the piles of
small apples, when it was concluded to
make few barrels of cider, and the
apples were used for that purpose, with
out being wiped or washed, some went in
the press being partly decayed. The
first rule for the manufacture of good
cider must therefore be to thoroughly as
sort and cleanse the apples. Let boy
wipe the apples with dry cloth before
they are ground up.
The old method of using straw in pack
ing the cider-press, is giving place to the
use of hair-cloth or gunny. A sieve OF
hair-cloth (not wire), should be placed
over bucket set beneath the edge of the
press, SO that the small bits of apple viii
not be left behind. Let the new cider
stand a day in an open vessel and the
pomace will rise to the top, when the
cider must be drawn off through small
spigot placed couple of inches from the
bottom, and put into clean sweet barrels
AS soon as white bubbles rise to the top
rack it off again, and this process should
be repeated three or four times. Ther
ill the barrel up with cider of the same
character, add tumblerful of fwarn
sweet oil and bung it up tight. Half 6
pound of glucose, or somewhat less o.
white sugar, may be added at this stage
of the progress.
The usual way of preparing clean bar
rels for the reception of cider has been tt
burn rags dipped in sulphur inside O.
the barrel, covering the bunghole SO Al
to retain the vapors, and then putting
half pound of mustard seed tied il
muslin, together with a quarter of {
pound of dissolved isinglass, into th,
: barrel before it is filled up with cider
This has been found to keep ciderin goo,
condition for long time.
!; Professional cider-makers il
the Eastern States now use calcium sui
phite (sulphite of lime) instead Of mus
tard, and the sulphur vapor. They adj
Q from one-eighth to one-fourth of an ounc
of the sulphite to each gallon of cider
and this preserves its sweetness perfectly
t but the proportions mentioned must nc
n be exceeded After the cider has stoo
several days it may be drawn off AM
!; bottled. Sulphite of lime costs abou
U 4 i
: article from sulphate of lime, and th
S two must not be confused. When swet
e ci Ter is bottled little cinnamon Z
L sassafras bark and a drachn of bicarboI
r ate of soda may be added This make
n cider efferyesee, but care must be take
L not to use too much of the bicarbonate
/ cn1o