New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-06
CIDER IN SMALL QUANTITIES.
AN OFF YEAR FOR APPLES REDUCES
THE YIELD

TILE NEW WAY AND THE Old or PRESSING DIT
THE IUICE-ALLEGED CIDER VINEGAR
Applcs are ripe, and cider fresh from th" oin.
IS coming to town--n small quantities.
Cider Of the new and improved" kind. winch
may bc made in large quantities regardless OF
the size Of the apple crop. comes to the inariet
at all seasons Of the year and most OF 1t has
never been subjected to The various processes
which come under the head OF cider-nakine. II
comes to the dealer in kegs, barrels and bot
ties and as Still and sparkling" cider
The real article finds ready sale and COM
mands 4 fair price. especially this year because
of the short apple crop. There several cider
mills within a few miles Of Newark. where the
beverage is still made in the primitive way.
where horses are employed to work the grind
crs. and everything about the nill smacks d
NE days of long ago.
To those people who have seen cider made
In mills where steam and gas cngines are Used.
these old mills highly interesting
"Appes is apples" said the Jersey farmer.
pointing to q bin where several hundred bushels
had been dumped by the neighbors who had
brought them to the mill There were large and
,mall green and red. sound and soft apples. all
piled up and waiting for tho grinder The cider
making paraphcrnalia stands under a rickety
shed at one end Of which is the tub in which
the grinder reVolvcs. by means Of which the
apples are converted into pulp or pomace The
power is derived from shaft operated by horses
on the outside When batch Of cider is to be
made lot of ore hundred bushels is set aside
and shovelled into the grinder. when the fruit
has been properly crushed it is shovclied and
ladled to a press, which has a platform about
eight feet square. All this is done in the modern
cider mill. except that the power IN the new
concerns is steam of gasoene.
But the press work in the old cider mills il
different from that which is done in the new
mills In the new mills the mass ~ pressed be-
tween cloth strancrs. while in the old mills
the pornacc Is covered with straw. upon which
another layer of pomacc is put and 50 the press
is filled with alternate layers OF stray and apple
pulp. The straw serves as strainer. and gives
the mass which is to be pressed consistency. and
keeps it from running off the press When the
press has been loaded the screws are operated
by poles, and the apple juice is caught as it
runs from the lower platform. 1t takes about
one hour to convert one hundred bushels OF
apples into cider. and the product ~ about four
gallons to the bushe
In good apple years" said the cider-r maker
it keeps US busy between times making ciicr
and we have had years when for weeks We had
the yard full Of barrels and the barn full Of
apples. But with A short apple crop ,ier
mill becomes A loncso ne place"
Much Of the cider which ~ made in Now
Jersey is disposed Of sweet but the greater
part becomes hard" and some IS allowed to
find its way to the market Is Vinegar although
cider vinegar. like cider, is not always what 1t
is represented 10 be and according - the tcst.
mony Of an old fashioned cider maker al he
real cider made in the United States v)uli not
supply NeN-York with cider vines1;