Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-21
OF A GLASS OF CIDER.
Suggestive Pointers Concerning Sac
charine Apple Juice.
IT'S WORTH MORE THAN VINEGAR.
Old-Tims Cider Mills Being Rapidly
Supplanted by New Ones.
IT STILL GOES WITH PUMPKIN PIE

The sight of a keg of sweet cider on the
counter is more frequent in city res
taurants nowadays than it was dozen years
ago. A piece of pumpkin pie and glass Of
saccharine apple juice doubtless appeal to
the country-bred tastes of many a grizzled
merchant and busy clerk and call up recol-
lections of rude old country cider mills and
the great vats of amber liquor into which
they once inserted the potent rye straw. Or
possibly tine pretty girl washing glasses at
the counter reminds them of some country
Pomona such as John Keats drew in his
poem of Autumn" who loved to sit beside
cider press "and watch the last slow ooz-
iDgs, hour by hour"
The cider business has got to be an extern
sive one, and grows largely every year, pro-
viding there is good crop of apples. This
year, however. there is only ABOUT one-third
of yield from the cider mills, owing to the
light apple crop. The price of cider does
not seem to huctuate with the supply. It is
always served out BY the retailer at cents
glass, and may be bought by the keg at
from 80 to 40 cents gallon.
PROFIT IN CIDER MAKING.
As rule, the flush year of the apple
orchards furnishes vinegar supply for two
years. Good cider is worth more than vine
gar this year, so that the crop will mostly
be used III its fresh state. Not a few cider
manufacturers own more than one mill; soma
half dozen, and they make hand
some profit. Surprising that they paw q
farmer 30 cents barrel for apples. A bar
rel of apples will make nine gallons Of
cider, which will bring them 20 cents a gall
lon, or 81 80 for the yield OF so cents worth
of apples. There is, of course, some outlay
for machinery, labor, barrels, etc. Second
hand whisky barrels are generally used, and
they cost about 81 % apiece. Old red-nosed
cider connoisseurs say that quart or two OF
whisky LETT In the barrel does not hurt the
cider.
The cost of making cider is from 2 to 8
cents gallon. and the farmers often prefer
TO pay this and market their own cider.
But here they are at disadvantage from
not being known to the trade. A Connecti-
cut cider firm made bid the other dav to
supply 300 barrels of cider at 13 cents gall
Ion. Such large orders would daze the aver
age farmer, of course.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF MILLS.
The romantic old-time cider mill is being
rapidly supplanted by the more thorough
and trustworthy modern sort. In the old
one the apples were often ground b7 horse
power. But most frequently the cider mill
was pitched beside small stream. the
power of which, half-Basted on q great
''overshot" wheel was made to do the grind.
ing. Ohen the supply OF water would fail,
or the dam or other contrivances give way,
and then there was a great temptation to
water the cider to make up for lost time
while waiting for the dam to fill up. The
-
screw into which iron bars were thrust and
pushed around by brawny arms. The writer
has seen broad-backed Dutch woman help
ing her husband at this arduous work.
The modern cider mill, however, shows
by the puts OF steam that 1t does not depend
on dams. To be sure, there may be dam a
foot high in the neighboring ravine, fall
OF water enough to work a hvdraulic ram
and iced the boiler. The grinder revolves
at rate which makes the building hum.
The ground apple, or pulp, falls down
through the floor into canvas sacks, which
are hastily closed and laid in tier of a
dozen on the platform of the hydraulic
press. Then down comes the cover with
irresistible power and the essence OF the
apple gurgles into the vat. From here a
pump, also propelled by steam, forces the
liquid up into large vat, from which it can
he drawn into barrels by turning a spigot.
In old times the loading OF barrel of cider,
weighing over 400 pounds, occupied the
close attention of several brawny men as
they rolled it up pair of "skids'' with a
concert of ''heave-ohs." But now a pair
of barrel tongs, rope thrown over q wind
lass having large wheel for the hand rope,
and the muscle OF one man lifts the barrel
and swings it into the wagon.
THE BEST CIDER MADE.
It Is strong argument for the sweet-cider
drinke- that the pomace left alter pressing
is ALSO utely worthless as food for anv-
thing or as a fertilizer. The virtue of ths
apple must therefore go with the juice
The best cider is that made late in the sea-
son from the best matured fruit Cold
weather also conduces to its keeping we'll.
Russet apples make about the finest cider in
market, and it will bring an extra price.
Some other varieties, Newtown pippins or
crab apples make very fue thick cider. II
properly worked, cleared of pomace and
kept air-tight in new clean barrels it will
keep all winter as rich and pleasant as a
sherry wine, while of course less alcoholic
and so less harmless.
The pleasure of sucking cider through q
straw" is not always attainable, as straws
are not everywhere convenient at hand. An
excellent substitute Tor the straw is stick
OF macaroni.