Arizona weekly enterprise., 1889-01-05
THE MAKING OF CIDER.
BYGONE DAYS OF THE STONE
 TROUGH AND ROLLER.

Methods of the Massachusetts Farmer of 8
 Hundred Years Ago-Primitive Press and ] the "Cheese ''-Wooden Cylinders for Grinding-Modern Inventions.
 There are some interesting facts in con nection with the cider industry of the state which at the opening of the present century was a primitive business among the farmers The fruit of which the cider was made at that time was the wild, natural apples, mostly sour and deficient of flavor. The cider was a harsh. sour drink, even as 1t ran from the press. The cider drinker of those days lived to great age, As time went on, grating was dis covered; then many of the wild trees were grafted to more palatable fruit, and later on budding came into use. Then an ex- perienced budder could change hundreds of small nursery seedlings in one day to any desirable variety. At this day, there are not more than ten or a dozen varieties of apples with which it Is advisable to plant an orchard. Those choice varieties are choice because they possess the re quisites for success to the planter: namely, quality, productiveness, vigor, growth and color pleasing to the eye of the con Sumer.
 THE OLD FASHIONED MILL.
 Here is a description of cider mill of well to do farmer 100 years ago: The first thing was circular stone trough about 30 feet in diameter. The inside stones, which were set up edgewise, were about IS inches in height, and the outside stones were 9 feet in height. The space between the stones was filled with clay, pounded in hard to prevent leaking. The width of the bottom of the trench was about 15 inches. A post was set in the center of the circle, and from that post extended shaft of wood, which served as the axis of a stone cylinder made to turn in the circular trough. This cylin- | der was feet long and about 8 inches in diameter. At rSe end of the shaft, out side the trench, a Gorse was hitched. The animal, by walking around the stone damned under the cylinder the apples that were placed in the trough. A man or smart boy had his hands full to keep the horse going and to poke the apples under the stone, as they had a tendency to slide up the sides of the circular trough. In six hours horse and man could mash about thirty bushels of ap- pies, if the horse did not get the blind staggers from walking in so small circle.
 After the grinding the finest portion of tho pomace was shoveled into tub and slid on two timbers to the press A thick layer of straw was laid on the bottom of 1 the press. with the ends reaching over frame the size of the intended cheese. They layer of mashed apple was laid on, and the straw was bent over the edge of the layer of apples, the form lifted up. then layer of straw and so on until the cheese was at the desired height. The press was outdoors, with roof over the top. The press was set high enough above the ground to allow tub to be set under the vat to receive the juice.
 "PIGGIE" AND sTRAINER.
 The juice was bailed from the tub by q vessel called ''piggin," wooden meas ure like peck measure of today, with q wooden handle attached The strainer and funnel consisted of bucket of about two gallons capacity, with wooden tube fastened on the bottom to place in the bunghole. That bucket was filled with straw for a strGiner.
 After six or eight hours of pressing the cheese would be quite compact; then the screws were raised and the sides of the cheese were cut down with broadax. Two or three buckets of water were then l poured upon the cheese, and then the screws were forced down for all they would stand. The result of all labor was about two and one-half gallons of juice from bushel of apples, and. being ex- posed so much and so long to the atmos- phere, was oxidized to dark brown color, which was supposed at that time (and is today by some people, to be the only cri- terion of it's quality.
 After the "stone age' of making cider, wooden cylinders, two feet in length and one in diameter, were used. These stood 3 cndwise, with futed edges, each flute fitted into the other with a sweep on the top. The cylinders were driven by horse power, and the horse walked in circle oi n 20 feet. Each time he travelled GO feet tho
 nuts" as they were called, revolveG b once around. The mashed apples adhered
 to them so that Q person had to scrapt the pomace from the revolving nuts op
 posite the hopper.
 r About 1880 Q Salem man invented ,
 high speed grater to lie horizontally ant l. rovolve at a speed of 1000 revolutions
 per minute. It was about one foot il t length and the same in diameter. Ina
 did away with scraping of the ponace f The bar on the top of tho cylinder hol(
 the apples from crowding. That con s trivance would grind sixty bushels il
 about three hours if the bar was set fo $ fine work.
 LATER INVENTIONS.
 About this time iron screws came int .s use and took the place of the woodel
 ones, and soon ratchets were attached t
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