Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-02-23

the farmers. The fruit of which the
cider was made at that time was the wild,
natural apples, mostly our and deficient
OF ravor. The CIDER was a harsh, sour
drlnk, even as 1t ran from the press. The
clder those days lived to a great
age. As time went on, grating was dis.
covered; then many of the wild trees were
grated to more palatable fruit, and later
on budding came into use. Then an ex-
perienced builder 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
qulSites for successto the planter: namely,
quality. productiveness, vigor, growth
and color pleasing TO the eye of the con
sumner.
II OLD FASHIONED MILL.
Here is "A description Of a cider mill of a
well to do farmer 100 years z o: The first
thing was "A circular stone trough about
80 feet in diameter. The inside stones,
which were set up ~edgewise, were about
stones were 2 feet in height. The space
"CNi AK otoucS WAS lIltu Will Clay,
pounded in hard to prevent leaking. The
width of the bottom Of the trench was
about 10 inches. A post was set in the
center of the circle, and from that post
extended a shaft of wood. which served
as the axis of a stone cylinder made to
turn In the circular trough. This cylin-
der was 4 feet long and about 8 inches In
diameter. At Tie end Of the shaft, out
side the trench, a Mrse was hitched The
animal, by walking around the stone,
damned under the cylinder the apples
that were placed in the trough. A man
or a 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 a 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 a circle.
After the grinding the finest portion Of
the pomace was shoveled into "A tub and
slid on two timbers TO the press. A thick
layer of straw was laid on the bottom of
the press, with the ends reaching over a
frane the size Of the intended cheese.
They a 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 a layer of straw e.d SO Oil Until the
cheese was AT the desired height, The
press was outdoors, with a roof over the
top. The press was set high enough above
the ground to allow a tub to be set under
the vat to receive the Juice.
"P1GGIN' AND STEAMER.
The juice was bailed from the tub by a
vessel called a ''piggin," a wooden meas
IRE like q peck measure of today, with a
wooden handle attached. The strainer
and funnel consisted Of a bucket of about
two gallons capacity, with q wooden tube
fastened on the bottom to place ia the
bunghole. That bucket was filled with
straw for a strainer.
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 a broadQx.
Two or three buckets Of water were then
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 a bushel of apples, and, being cx-
posed 50 much and so long to the atmos-
phcre, was oxidized to a dark brown color.
which was supposed at that time land is
today by some people) TO be the only cri-
tcrion Of its quality.
After the stone age" of making cider,
wooden cylinders, two feet in length and
ono III diameter, were used. These stood
endwise, with huted edges, each flute
fitted into the other with IA sweep on the
top. The cylinders wore driven by horse
power, and the horse walked in a circle Of
20 feet. Each time he Travelled GO feet the
nuts" us they were called, revolved
once around. The mashed apples adhered
TO them SO that a person had to scrape
the pomacc from the revolving nuts op-
posite the hopper.
About 1880 a Salem man invented u
high speed crater to lie horizontally and
revolve at a speed of 1000 revolutions
per minute. Ii was about one foot in
length and the same in diameter. That
did away with scraping off the pomace.
The bar on the top of the cylinder held
the apples from crowding. That con-
trivance would grind sixty bushels in
about three hours if the bar was set for
fine work.
LATER INVENTIONS.
About this time iron screws came into
use and took the place Of the wooden
ones, and soon ratchets were attached to
them. BY this method a cheese put on
the press in the morning would DO ready
to throw of the next morning, providing
live or six hours were spent by two men
OF the screws.
During the last war power presses be-
gan to be invented, first screw, then
knuckle jointed, similar to Franklin's
printing press. They required great care
TO prevent the cheese from sliding.
With those presses came the cloths and
The cloths are called cider cloths.
They are three threaded and twisted very
hard, with the desired space between each
thread. Frames of lattice work were used
between each cloth holding the pomace
and they were about four inches apart.
After the pressure was taken off the LAYER
of pomace was about one inch in thickness.
In 1886 a four screw press was invented
with three speeds up and the same down
that would drain a cheese in thirty min
utes. The cylinders are intended to make
9, 300 revolutions per minute. At that
speed it will "scrape" 100 bushels in thirty
The improved mills of the present time
are too costly for the average farmer to
own. Only those near a dense population
and who are able to buy apples of their
neighbors can afford to maintain a plant