The Portland daily press., 1879-10-28
To PreserVe Cider.

A pure sweet cider is only obtainable from
clean sound fruit, and the fruit should
therefore3 be carefully examined and wiped
before grinding.
In the press use hair-cloth or gunny i'll
place of straw. AS the cider runs from the
press let it pass through hair sieve into a
large open vessel, that will hold as much
Juice as can be expressed in one day. In
one day, or sometimes less, the pomace
will rise to the top, and in short time
grow very thick. When little white bubbles
break through it draw off the liquid through
very small spigot placed about three inches
from the bottom, so that the lees may be
left behind. The cider must be drawn off
into very clean, sweet casks, preferably
fresh liquor casks, and closely watched.
The moment the white bubbles before men
toned are perceived rising at the bunghole,
rack it again. 1t is usually necessary to re-
peat this three times. Then fill up the cask
with cider in every respect like that origi-
nally contained in it, and a tumbler OF
warm sweet oil and bung up tight. For
very fine cider tits customary to add at this
stage of this process about half pound of
glucose Starch sugar., ora smaller portion
of white sugar. The cask should then be al
lowed to remain in cool place until the CT
der has acquired the desired flavor.
In the mean time clean barrels for their
reception should be prepared, as follows:
Some clean strips of rags are dipped in sui
phur. lighted and burned in the bunghole
and the bung laid loosely on the end Of the
rag. so as to retain the sulphur vapor within
the barrel. Then tie up half a pound OF
mustard seed in a coarse muslin bag and
put it in the barrel, fill the barrel with CT
der, and add about a quarter of pound OF
isingass or fine gelatine dissolved in hot
water. This is the old-fashioned way, and
10, a;I or, in, tl,n condition
when it went into the barrel, if kept in a
cool place, for year.
Professional cider makers are now using
calcium sulphite (sulphite of lime), instead
of mustard and sulphur vapor 1t is much
more convenient and effectual. To use it,
it is simply requisite to add one-eighth to
one-quarter of an ounce Of the sulphlte to
each gallon of cider in the cask, first mixing
the powder in about quart of the cider and
giving the latter a thorough shaking or roll
ing. After standing bunged for several
days to allow the sulphite to exert its full
action, it may be bottled off. The sulphite
of lime (which should not be mistaken for
the sulphate of lime) is a commercial article,
costing about forty cents pound by the
barrel. twill preserve the sweetness OF the
cider perfectly, but, unless care is taken not
to add too much of it, it will imparta slight
sulphurous taste to the cider. The bottles
and corks used should be perfectly clean,
and the corks wired down.
A little cinnamon, wintergreen or sassa-
fras, etc., is often added to sweet cider in
the bottle, together with a dram or SO of BIZ
carbonate of soda at the moment of driving
the stopper. This helps to neutralize free
acids, and renders the liquid effervescent
when unstopped; but if used to excess it
may prejudicially affect the taste.-Scien-
tifc american. n