Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1900-12-13
PROHIBITION CIDER.
J. 5. Knowlton Knows How to Make IL
Something About an Important Local

siderable about "Knowlton's cider mill
but little has been known definitely shou
it, as comparatively few have had time :,
go out to look at it. That there is eide,
mill on the Knowlton farm, Just beyonf
Barber park, and that cider has been madt
there tor the pa't four years i, practically
the extent of the knowledge Of most B.l
lows Fall, people, except those few who
have taken special interest in the matter
Four years ago John S Knowlton, own.
err of the farm above mentioned, and nro.
proprietor OF milk route in town, put an
apple crater and cider press into his barn
and that year made little cider which he
disposed of without much trouble. From
that time on his business has increased
from 500 to 700 barrel, until last year he
made about 1000 barrels of cider. This
year the total amount of cider is over 1000
barrels.
TIE last pressing was done last Friday.
the mill having been in operation nearly
all the time since September L.
The process of making cider is verv
simple, and commonly known. The apple,
are ground fine enough to make pressing
easy, put into press and the Juice
squeezed out under high pressnr4. A..
soon as the liquid is press d from the apple
it Immediately becomes sweet cider, and
from that time proceeds through several
diff 4rent stages till 1t becomes vinegar.
The mill itself is very un ,stentatious
affair. consis ing of CRATER. press and a
tank for the sweet cider. Mr. Knowl on's
apparatus is very good one. The press
is Sc inches square, and has a hydraulic
pressure Of 2 400 pounds per square inch
To the tank under the press is attach a
pump for the purpose of pumping the cider
into large tanks and barrels. The whole
app sratus is run by six-hor.e power en-
CINE with a twelve horse power boiler, four
men bling required to operate the mil.
Twenty bushels OF apples are used for
one pressing which take, about Is minutes,
One bu,hel of apples will make about three
and one-ffth gallons OF cider, Is pound.
being required for one gallon. About four
dressings are M ,de in an hour when the
mill is in good working order, making the
total amount of cider produced in an hour
about eight barrels. But on occasion the
process can be shortened, and the day
and Mr. Knowlton says that
he has made as many as 1870 barrels IN one l
day, using from 1000 to 1900 bushels Of 4
apples. The apples used are the common
cider apples, all careful ly sorted, and are
furnished by the farmers in the vicinity /
who draw them to the mill for about II
cents per hundred pounds. =
The crude cider as it came from the
press has sold for five cents per gallon.
From now on this will not be sold. 1t has
been divided into two lots for two different
purposes. About 100 barrels have been put
through process to preserve it; this pre-
served sweet cider is absolutely free from
alcohol, aud will remain so as long as kept.
The process is one which Mr.. Knowlton
has partly disc overed himself, and which
he thinks will prove great success. This
will probably be delivered mostly to local
parties during the winter and summer, and
the price Of it will probably be about 10
cents per gallon.
The remaider OF the cider is for vinegar
stock, and is now being pumped into three
large tanks with respective capacities OF
1876 gallons, 40S gallons and 900 gallons,
which adjoin the mill Within month
. vinegar generator will be put in
by Mr.. Knowlton, and the entire 1900
barrels Of cider will be changed to vinegar
by the generator in about two weeks.
This large amount Of vinegar will be cold
to Wholesale dealers in Boston, N W York
and Springfield for about 10 cents per gal
lon.
A department Of the work which has
been little pushed TIL, year, owing to the
rush Of the cider and vinegar trade, is the
making OF boiled cider and cider Jelly
Connected With the mill Is an evaporator
for this purpose. This evaporator is IL
Ieet long by IL feet wide and 10 inches
deep, and has capacity for producing Is
gallons Of boiled cider, or from go to ISL
pound, Of jelly per hour.
During the next year the company will
adopt the name Of the "Verm ont Fruit
Go ;" with J 8 Knowlton q, general man
sger. and many improvements and addi-
lions will be made on the plant. A NV
sngine and boiler will be put in solely tor
he purpose of operating the boil. ID cider
which part Of the industry VII
be pushed. A building SO bv 46 feet will
be built over the three large tanks to
shelter them and to serve a, a store room
'or barrels, casks, etc., ami other minor