The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-01-29
WINE OF ENGLAND.
Revival of Cider Drinking in Many
 Rural Districts

ReVlVdl or Clder DrlHklHB III A1aAy
 Rural Districts
 It has been said that the questions which really interest the majority of men are few, and personal merely. One of them, assuredly, is what to drink? In other countries this question may be less pressing than it is here; the win du pays is accepted as the be- verage naturally suited to quench mems thirst. Yet English soil pro duces a drink which, in it's best form is worthy of being called Wine-the white wine of England-and is both more palatable and more wholesome than many of the liquors which come from abroad. Thus the present tend ency to return to native beverage, produced from such fruit as can be equalled nowhere else in the world, is but the triumph of the fittest, for the hygienic and potable qualities of cider have been established beyond doubt
 English cider is generally supposed to have been made first in the West Country, but, as a writer in "Memor- ials of Old Herefordshire' points out, there is reason to believe that in many parts of England cider was in use long before 1t had become a com mon beverage in the particular coun- try which is usually connected with it's origin. In 12S2 cider was made near Kent, in Yorkshire and century later Kent is mentioned as abound ing with apples of most sortes." At this time, however, the orchards of the West were coming to the front, and already, in some districts, men drank mo other drinks but that which is made of apples" For long period the production of cider was carried on so extensively in Hereford, Worcester, Gloucester, Somerset, and Devon, that an immense area of land was devoted to apple cultivation. The first named county has become, says Evelyn, in 1929, one entire orchard. The old po- mologists tended their plantations with no small care. They were both sound thinkers and honest workers, in some instances being the pioneers of horti- cultural discoveries which have been achieved by following the lines they were the first to indicate. And as in other land the praises of Bacchus were sung, so a poet to celebrate the gift of Pomona. Thampson, in "The Seasons" alludes to
 i Phillips Pomonas bard the second | thou
 Who nobly durst, in rhyme
 verse,
 With British freedom, sing the British ] song.
 Such was the esteem in which cider was then held.
 The establishment of commerce between England and France on the termination off the Napoleonic wars, with the consequent renewal of wine- 1 drinking, brought great misfortune to the orchard owners. As the demand | diminished, the orchards became un- profitable; new trees were not replant- ed, and the old one fell into state of decay. There was still call for choice varieties of cider and perry in coun- try houses in the West, where cider was laid down and treated with the respect paid of wines of the best vintages, and thought worthy of be- ing quaffed from silver tankards. In many a cellar cider was to be found which had kept its arma and condi- tion for forty or even fifty years. But, for all outside the cider shires the popularity of the beverage suffered a severe blow.
 The reviving repute of cider to be observed today should be a cause for satisfaction not only to those who are still searching for the ideal drink, but to all who which prosperity for British agriculture. Tens of thousands of acres wait to be cultivated, while tens of thousands of persons, existing in minery in overcroWded cities, want a living The increased consumption of cider will help in the settling of a larger proportion of the population on the land. The proper cultivation of apples requires a large degree of hu- man labor. The planting, pruning, hy- bridizing and gathering, the dealing with insect pests, represent much work to be done in the course of the year apart from the process of manufac- ture, It is essential to the production of good cider that as much care should be given to the orchard as wine grow CTS bestow on their vineyards.
 It is well for the future of cider that not only is this principle recognized and acted upon, but that in the lead extracting the juice have been adopted The old way of pressing the apples between layers of strw, not always scrupulously clean, and of using ap- pies without paying particular heed to their condition, could not be ex- pected to produce a beverage accep- table to refined palates, though II might go down we'll enough with the hardy yokels who, it Is said could drink their three gallons a day at har- vest time. Cider, as made by the prin- cipal growers to-day, is not the out come of a haphazard process, which, according to luck, might or might not yield good liquor. Apples are chosen for their particular properties. and blended in precise quantities. It is a fair comparison to say that the best cider is made like champagne There are famous brands, which cost three or four shillings bottle of magmum size, On the other hand, a perfectly sound beverage, wholesome, agreeable and refreshing, can be bought in cask for as little as is paid for beer. The difference is merely one of character