Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-08-24
CIDER IN ENGLAND.
A leverage That IL In General Use In
the Western Counties

INC w tettTn souuties.
II is surprising that OF the three principal
European beverages. wine, beer and cider, so
little attention has been paid to cider in COM
parIson with the other two, says the London
Saturday Repier. Wine IS ancient and
classical, and was no doubt the first inven-
ton TO cheer the heart Of man. 1t was q sim
ole and natural thing TO do to press the fruit
For the sake OF drinking the ju ce; 10 keep the
Juice awhile and thus discover that there was
a cheerfulness impaired To IL; 10 keep II a 1T
tie longer and lind 1t vinegar ana disap.
pointment, and then To Invent the method OF
staying IL at the cheerful stage and prevent
Ing II from proceeding 10 the sour and vine.
gar stage. The process Of distilling must
have come long after this, and II II had never
been discovered the sobrlety OF man might
not have been alarmed 10y such a meaningless
medley of words as the Blue Ribbon Gospel
Total Abstinence association. To this day
grapes are pressed by the naked feet OF
women dancing on the masses OF fruit 10 the
sound OF the fiddle and the lascivious pleas
ing OF the lutte, q custom which must be very
ancient The proper making OF wine Is an
art demanding great skill, and the juice Of
al fruit Is so delicate, the chemical changes
are SO subtle, that long experience aud con-
siderable ingenuity are required 10 prepare 10
Tor transport from the place where II Is made
TO other Chimes. There are few wines that do
not taste far better where they are made than
elsewhere, and there are many very delicious
wines that are never tasted out OF their own
country. The art OF vine making has been
brought TO the greatest perfection at Bor-
deaux and 1t is from there that the pure
juice OF the crane is carried TO other countries
and drunk In perfect state.
What fine national beverage we should
have II the same pains and skill had been te-
slowed on cider. Cider Is an innocent aud
delicious drink, with much lower alcoholic
strength than most natural wines, and far
better than ali the common wines below those
OF high class. IL Is In general use in the
western counties, Devenshire, Somersetshire
Herefordshire especially. IL Is commonly
made and drunk on the premises; that is 10
say, there is an orchard on every farm, large
or small and tie cider Is made Tor the family
use, including the men employed. This is
what 10 called rough cider, and the quality
depends on the situation aud the season. On
large farms or at the squires mansion, Il is
often when just made put into an enormous
cask, constructed 10y a professional cooper
In the cellar, much too large ever TO HAYS been
put into or taken out OF the cellar, and then
drawn off the lees for use; there Is no better
wav OF drinking cider than this, case I'm
which the liquor after having been made Is
not moved at all; and your real west country
cder.drnker likes his cider with no nonsense
about IL, sometimes giving preference to IL
when IL Is what in called rash-the word be-
ing applied TO the cider aud not the drlnker,
as the ignorant might suppose. There are
many definitions OF gentleman, OF which ITO
set in chmblcy cornder, drink Zlder and
cuss" Is one 20 be heard of to the westward.
Nhe Their II is rticularly human 10 like
variety In eating, but TO become strongly at
tached to the accustomed beverage I'm drink
ing, we will only hint to the Psychologist ana
Psychologist, but certain II is that the fond
ness for cider In cider countries Ia extreme,
and the alcoholic strength Is not enough TO
to make 1t njurIouS 10 Is recommended for
govt and Is we'll known 90 the aforesaid west
ward 10 he q complete cure for all the Ills that
flesh IL beir to Two men have been known
TO sit down before a hogshesd Of cider aud
not leave IL TIL u was empty, being none the
worse for IL Can anything more be said In
the n aise OF clderi