The Red Cloud chief., 1880-11-04

Wuu .lch recurring sezson lovers al
cider make anxious inquiries FROM Va
rious sections 1t n country IN relation
10 best methods for keeping this bercr'
age swee. throughout the year Many
desire \ prime article from be irss
apples are 1T 20 grnd in The fall Until
they come again another scason. bot
few there are willing To observe ths
conditions Necessary To such n stale Il
things. When \ prime article - ~
qnired for keeping twelve months cf
longer. the first step Is the production
81 . good article. October and No
yember. according Ia climate. or. when
light autumn fro-ts are occurring and
the fruit Is in all its ruddy perfection
. Of upeness, il the tim. 10 make cider
worthy of the name. The best 81 cider
il made from apples which arc rather
~astringent in their properties 81 flesh
and juice. apples the juices Of which
contain the largest per cent II alcohol.
Is the Hexsian, Garfield and the Nir-
GINA crab. The strongest cider comes
As n rule from apples which contain
the least amount ot juice. The quality
and strength Of cider from any variety
I Of apples il greatly improved when
the fruit is swratei and permitted -
DRY somewhat ~previou;to being ground.
inasmuch n the apples during this
process par; with six or eight per cent
of water.
The apples, cleared Of leaves. shriv-
| elied windfalls and rotten fruit. nav bc
crushed or ground. according 10 the
old or new process employed While
the former has It's advocates.
who insist that pomace finely ground
Yields cloudy or muddy liquor. the lat
ter has the greatest number OF follow
ers. Cider made in a large press. other
things being equal, keeps better than
that which is made in a small hand
press. A richer. fuller-flsyored and
bctter-colored beverage il obtained
when the pomace is allowed Ia remain
in the vat twenty-four hours and turned
occasionally 10 induce fermentation A.,
before the juice is expressed The
color of the juice, by the WAY. is largely
influenced by the management IF the
pulp. Different kinds Of apples impart
different ~flayurs, but from any one Kind
two distinct varieties Of cider may be
produced. the one by expressing the
| juice before any change of color occurs
from exposure Of the pomacc to the
atmosphere, and the other after this
exposure. In champagne cider, there
fore, when a light-colored liquor is
desired, the juice is pressed from the
pomace Immediately after the latter is
ground.
Professional cider-makers claim that
cloth is far better than straw in the
press, and that cloth-cider gains better
prices than straw-cider. Here again
/ farmers at large differ, aud the only
conclusion to be arrived at is that an
excellent article can be obtained, either
way. Whisky or brandy barrels have
| the first preference. If they cannot be
obtained, the casks into which the
cider is put must be clean and sweet.
Barrels may be thoroughly cleansed
with lime, or wood-ashcs and water.
In addition TO this is II always best To-
fumigate with matches of roll brim-
stone dropped into the bung, afterward
rinsiny the barrel with hot water and
draining dry. When the barrels are
filled they should be placed with bungs
up on blocks or skids in "A cool cellar.
or in any sheltered place in the open
air where the temperature will not fall
below sixty degrees or increase above
scventy-iive degrees Fahrenheit. An
active s~accharine fermentation will be-
gin in a few hours, and ought TO be al
lowed to continue with the bung loose
until the Kissing sound SO readily dis
cernible when carbonic-acid gas Is es-
Gaping shall cease. As the pomace
and froth during this process OF fer
mertation work out at the bunghole. it
is we'll to fill up each day with some
juice of the same pressing reserved for
this purpose. The cider is now ready
for the first racking. After being
racked and drawn oil into clean bar
rels, the bungs should be placed in
| tightly for a few days and then loosen
cd to permit further fermentation.
The cider may now be racked again
and the bungs tightly closed. IL in
tended for draught use. keep 1T in q
cool cellar. II designed for bottling-
which is the only certain means of
keeping cider unchanged indefinitely
agent-this should be accomplished not
later than the early spring. Bottlers
in manufactures employ various ripen-
ing agents and refine cider with ISM
glass, fish sounds. etc. Should the
cider at the time Of last racking appear
in the least clouded. it will be well TO
dissolve and add a little isinglass-say,
| tbree-fourths of an Ounce to n barrel.
In bottling care should be observed
that the bottles are quite clean and the
corks driven tight and well secured by
wire, after the fashion Of those used in
champagne bottles.
While it is quite true that cider prop
erly made at the right season of the
year and from the right sort of apples
will. when tightly bunged in good bar
rels. change but little and that grad
| ually, or, if bottled, show no other
change than q certain improvement
which comes with age 10 most liquors.
it is equally true that in ninety-nine
cases out of one hundred these condi-
tions are not met, and some ~expedient
must be ~resorted 10 that will effectually
| stop fermentation after the cider has
acquired the proper degree of hardness
or acidity. The common practices Of
adding mustard-seed. exposing the
liquor TO the influence Of sulphurous
acid gas or adding sulphurous acid.
while retarding to a great extent not
only the process OF putrefaction but
that of fermentation and preventing the
liquor from ever becoming vinegar, are
not recommended rs they detract much
from the flavor of the pure article.
Sulphite (not sulphate) of lime, which
is far more convenient and effectual
than mustard and sulphur vapor. has
come largely into use. however. for the
purpose of preventing fermentation in
cider. and when employed in limited
quantity does not much. if any. change
the flavor of the liquor. One-eighth Of
an ounce of sulphite OF lime to each