The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-09-19
FARM TOPICS.
SHELTER FOR ORCHARDS.

One of the most common errors into
which horticultural writers of the pres
ent time fall consists in making genera
and sweeping rules from single observa
tons. A correspondent of the Garden
er's Monthly has come to the conclusion
that shelter in majority Of cases is in.
furious to fruit trees. He seems to think
that he has made new discovery in
which he differs from all writers and
all previous teachings. He finds that
his trees do better on exposed hills than
in warm valleys. Now it happens that
so years ago we published in full detail
a series of observations showing that
fruit trees, and especially half-tender
ones like peaches, invariably succeeded
better on elevations than in mucky val
leys which promoted rapid and sue
culent growth in summer and autumn,
which was killed by the cold air which
settled in those valleys, and the sharp
frOsts to which they were especially SUBJ
jected. In other eases where circum-
stances and influences are reversed, this
rule would not apply.
A GUIDE FROM APPLE BIN TO BOTTLE.
When a prime article in cider is de-
sired for long keeping the first step to-
wards its attainment is the production
of Il good article. October and NOvem-
Der, according to climate, or when the
autumn frOsts have begun and the fruit
is in all its ruddy perfection of ripeness,
is the time to make it. A good cider
apple is rather astringent in its proper
ties of flesh and juice. The strongest
cider furthermore is expressed, as II rule,
from apples containing the least amount
of juice. Champagne elders are made
from apples the juice of which contains
the largest percentage of alcohol, as the
Hessian, Virginia Crab and Campfield;
this last, by the way, is the celebrated
cider apple in New Jersey.
Apples should be sweated and per-
mitted to dry somewhat before they are
ground, the quality and strength Of the
cider being improved in consequence of
the fruit having parted during this pro-
cess with or per cent. of water.
The apples, cleared of leaves and de-
according to the old or new process en-
ployed. The former is yet preferred by
some, who argue that pOmace which has
been finely ground yields cloudy or mud
dy liquor. Cider-makers generally,
however, use the newer process and
largely employ in the press hair
cloth or gunny instead of straw. The
pulp, if laid aside for twenty-fOur hours
and turned occasionally to allow fermen-
tatiOn to set in before the juice is ex-
pressed, gains body, richness and color.
BY this exposure the aromatic oil con-
tanned in the seeds is extracted and,
communicating its flavor to the mass, a
fuller favored beverage is the result.
The color of the juice may be chang
ed by the management of the pOmace.
Different kinds Of apples inpart differ,
ent flavOrs, but from any one kind two
distinct sorts of cider can be manual
tured, the one by expressing the JUG
before any change of color occurs from
the exposure of the pulp to the atmos-
phere, and the other after this exposure.
Champagne-cider makers cOgnizant of
this fact press the pOmace as soon as
ground. Casks provided for receiving
the juice must be sweet and clean.
Those made of strong oak slaves are
recommended when new ones are to be
employed; If secOnd-handed ones are
used whisky and other spirit casks are
preferable. It's imperative that second
hand casks be cleansed of all impurities,
which can be done with lime or wood
ashes and water. In addition to this