Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-04
CIDER DRINKING DECLINES.
Apple Juice Not Used Much Now-spe
cific for Many Ills In Olden Times.

cific for Many Ills In Olden Times.
tF'rom Rochester. N. VI
Has cider as beverage sunk into
desuetude. even in the land of its birth,
the country? Has the prevalence of
beer and ale and cheap domestic wines
driven out the luscious juice Of the APP
pie? The farmers are beginning to
whisper as much. About the only use
ii is put to now, they declare, is the
making Of vinegar. Yet the older gen.
Grafton especially those who spent
their early days in the lanes and fields
lof the countryside, will tell one that
for the lesser ills to which the flesh is
heir nothing can equal the tonic and
invigorating qualities of cider, pressed
ty hand from selected apples. and
stored away in great, clean barrels or
earthenware jugs to "ripen' against
the winters cold and snow.
One who was brought up on cider in
his country home heard of these ru-
mors. and in spirit of scepticism made
INQUIRIES among the restaurants and
wholesale liquor houses in this city,
which lies almost In the heart of the
great apple growing district of the
world. Invariably the reply was: I'VE
haven't got any on hand now, and
don't keep 1t in stock. If you are will
Ing to wait we can get some for you in
a few days" He says things wern't
that way ten years ago.
| lt must not be inferred from this that
the making and drinking of cider have
become obsolete. BY no means In a
DAYS trip on bicycle over any road
in one of the lake shore counties IN the
late fall one could find a score of
presses dripping with the fragrant
juice of clean apples. Perhaps we
might run by few large mills where
Immense presses are pushed together
by hydraulic or steam power, and
whose output can be measured by the
hundreds of barrels day. Huge tanks
receive the flood until they froth and
Toll with the juice. But the apples used
are not selected fruit" and the pro-
duct is only known as vinegar stock"
1t is clarified with pumice stone powd-
err and rectified in drawing off, in or
der that the vinegar may be as pure as
possible. But when considered purely
as cider, the liquid Is open to criticism
| The best apple juice obtainable is
that made to order by some farmer per-
sonally known to the purchaser He
has his hand press, or perhaps one OPP
Grated by a horse. He selects the ap-
Piles carefully. washes them, and
strains the juice thru immaculate
cheesecloth. The cider is run into clean
| barrels or kegs and kept in cool place,
| If the purchaser desires to let the stuff
ripen' before taking it home. Many
persons perfer it Sweet" altho It's hy-
gienic properties are not so pronounced
as when it has begun to get hard"
This takes place under normal ci-cum-
stances in about a month. Cider a
year old is worthy of the name forty
rod" and If absorbed too recklessly
will devastate whole townships. But as
most people do not drink cider in COM
paratively large quantities. what re-
mains is allowed to turn into vinegar
after reaching that powerful condition.
| Country constables will tell you that
the "meanest kind of jag Is hard
cider jag The unfortunates who have
experienced its terrific effects will say
the same thing, too, only from a differ
ent point of view. But the hard cider
drinkers have all died off and bad
whisky and worse wine have become
more popular substitutes.
| "Applejack" is made, generally ION
the quiet" by distilling hard cider. 1t
lis clear amber-colored liquid, inno-
cent as olive oil in appearance, but
possessed of deal of mischief when
| improperly handled. Stone fence" is
a mixture of this deadly dynamite and
hard cider. Its name came, tradition
saith. because, when once properly pre-
pared, its hardness is only paralleled
by pile of granite powders.
Il tell you," said an old farmer the
other day, 1.-The best days of cider have
passed, along with the country dance
and sech like. 1t used ter be the only
dring for Thanksgivin' and Christmas
an Saturday an Sunday nights, with
doughtnuts an apples In front of the
kitchen fire. Mebbe few eggs would
be stirred in, with sugar. ter make ter
make an egg-nog. Somehow. when
folks drink at all nowadays. they hev
their beer or their Californy wine. But
what's them to good russell cider!'
The farmer of the old school would
tell you that no comparison can exist.
AS Il specific for rheumatism. dyspep-
sia. headache, dizziness and many 9TH
or ills, cider was the soNran balm.
Nowadays physicians can be found who
will admit that its powers We're not ex-
aggerated by the simple country folk.
The writer knows one doctor who, the
year round, takes small wineglass of
pure hard cider on getting up, and an
other on going to bed. He has heard of
an army officer who never allows him
self to be without demijohn of the
very best quality of russell apple
juice.
Bucklen's Arnoa salve.