Milford chronicle., 1891-07-24
Apples ana Peaches to be Con
verted into Brandy.

The immense fruit crop Of the Peninsula
this year will give big impetus TO a branch
| of business that has lauguished for three
years and which last year was not operated
to the smallest extent. It is the disIillatiou
Of fruit brsudies from apples and peaches.
There are about 100 registered stills on the
Peninsula between the two bays. Probably
half of them are in WicOmico county, Nd ;,
and Sussex county, Del More of them will
be in operation this year than at any time
within twenty years. At no time recently
has the business been profitable because the
shortness Of the apple and peach crops in
/ teTfered with the brandy material. This
year the early summer apple crop is very
heavy and the distillers are quick to take
advantage of the low prices To begin their
work. II. c, Dodson the deputy collector
of internal revenue for the division compris-
ing the eastern shores Of Maryland and Vir-
giuia, is busy already with the official work
of bonding and starting the distillers In
Dorchester ard WicomicO distillers began
work on the early summer apples a week
ago. This is early for the distilling season.
Usually they do not begin work before Au-
gust and often not until September. It is
quite certain there are NOT fifty gallons of
home made fruit brandy in the market on
the Peninsula, and the output this year will
find an empty market
eminent tax Of ninety cents a gallon, aud
the business on the governments part is so
thoroughly systemized and hedged about
with red tape forms that an escape from the
payment OF tax on a single gallon by any
distilleT is impossible, unless there is collu-
sion between him and the government Off
Ger. Two deputy collectors and two gaug-
eTs have all this work to look after on the
Peninsula Their hands will be full this
year One deputy collector and one gauger
has Delaware, and another pair the MARYLAND
and Virginia territory from Cecil county to
Cobb's Island. The deputy collector has 10
visit every distiller, survey and register his
still and take his bond before he can start the
fires, Eleven papers have to be executed
with unvaTying forinalities before a fruit
grower can begin to liquefy his fruit with
out being 'mooushiner" and mourning
heavy penalties. The distiller must keep a
book Of a form prescribed by the internal
revenue department and enter in il daily the
amount Of fruit and kind be used to make
the distilling material, where obtained, the
hours the still worked, quantity and kind OF
material used in the still, the number of boil
iugs aud the product in wine gallons. Frnit
juices Of any kind, when first RIM through
the still, produce what is technically known |
as "singlings." This product has to be re- |
or doubled up" as the business |
phrase is to make the brandy, The deputy 4
is obliged to visit every fruit distil-
lery once month, and unless he visits many /
OF them more frequently the distiller's /
monthly reports will get him and the officer /
oothau trouble with the department. Some |
of the distiller's cannot write, and their at /
tempts to keep their accounts on which the |
reports are based are ludicrous but
very harassing to the internal revenue Off
Ger. The gaugeT also makes monthly visits
to each dtstllery, measures the product he |
hnds on hand, and marks the measure on the
cask containing it. IT not iufreqently hap
pens with ignorant but honest distillers that
between the brandy the gauger finds on the
premises and the output for the month as
shown by the distiller's monthly report there
IS a difference, sometimes plus and some
lines minus, OF from 10 to rs per cent. And
although two gallons of singlings are re-
Iuired to make one gallon of brandy, there
IRE disullers reports on file which show that
n given month more brandy than shing-
ings was produced. These are the things
hat worry the soul of the deputy collector
he long summer days and blight the life of
he clerk in the collector office in Baltimore
Who has to audit all these distillers' monthly
epoTts and make an abstract OF them for
he Washington office.
It IS probable that 90 900 gallons of apple
nd peach brandy will be made this year
n the Peninsula, on which a tax Of SIS, COO
'ill be paid into the United States Treasury.
lndeT the internal revenue laws only the
lices Of apples, peaches and grapes are per-
litted to be distilled Recently, since to-
latoes have beer canned so largely in the I
ountry, thrifty packers have desired to ex-
eriment in the stills with the tomato refuse
nd some have made application to the in
,rnal revenue department for special per-
lission to distill tomato Juice, but without
vail, as the department can find no warrant
law torit. To use any other material than
hat comes from peaches apples and grapes
his still would subject the distiller to D
eavy penalties. u
Some years ago john N Wright of the
PIPER part Of Dorchester county, one of the
ost thrifty farmers and intelligent distillers
] the Peninsula, did get permission to dis I
i the liquid obtained from sassafras roots
an experiment He succeeded in obtain
g a beautiful and highly pungent oil which
used as the basis OF most of the havoring
tracts and essences. The distillation was Ii
success, but the expense of the macerstiou
the roots without proper machinery pre-.
nted the business from being profitable 4
+. Wright believes that the business of dis.
ling sassafras oil with proper machinery .
uipment could be very successfully con-
cted on the peninsula.