Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-10-03

! Mr. Whitney says that a good cider made
| from these apples, and aged under the prop
er conditions is the nearest thing in the
world to a ringer for champagne
This interesting statement is correlated
by DR.. Gore of the bureau of chemistry, who
has experimental with this crab apple cider
in a scientific way, just as Mr.. Whitney has
experimental with it in a professional way.
Mr. Whitney has a hundred trees bearing
this wonderful apple but he keeps most Of
the cider that he makes from them for his
own use and that of his family and intimate
friends.
The dealer and the scientist agree that
the making of apple cider is an art that
many good apples are ruined IN the attempt
to make cider, and that the making OF nara
cider in the home is not apt ever to become
a widely successful practice
In the first place, the right varieties OF ap-
pies must be used. Summer apples are no
good fine winter apple is necessary, Such
as the Ben Davis or the Winesap. VI course
culls are used almost exclusively, but they
must be culls of the better sort. Many rot
ten or wormy apples will spoil the cider.
In the second place, the pressing must
be done in cold weather. In fact, cold is the
secret of good cider. From the day 1t is
messed out of the apples until it finds lodg-
ment within the human system, cider must
never be warm. The 1ayman generally aSso-
ciates warmth with fermentation, but clder
will ferment at any temperature above lreeH-
! in
prees Fahrenheit it will turn to vinegar
/ The Juices must therefore be pressed out on
a cold day and must be put Immediately III
a cold place. A cold cellar is good IN winter
in cold climates. Otherwise 1t must De put
in an ice box or in some other form OIL arIl-
| fetal cold storage.
| The cask is also important. A tifty-gal-
ion whisky barrel is best. A wine barrel
with slaves a couple of inches thick, that
| will keep out air is also good A vinegar
barrel must never be used, nor will cheap
| barrel with thin, porous sides serve the pur-
pose There must be a small opening at
the top of the barrel, covered with gauze
| or screen, so that the surplus carbon dloXlde
can escape but the cask must be absolutely
air tight everywhere else.
If thus treated the cider will develop in
four to six weeks very slight percentage of
alcohol and fine bead. AS soft drink it
will then be at it's best, and very delicious.
After three or four months, it will probably
contain four or five per cent of alcohol, ana
will still be a very acceptable drink Ordl-
nary cider will never develop more than hVe
per cent of alcohol. You must get crab ap-
ME cider if you aspire to make something
stronger.
! At either of the stages mentioned, the
cider may be bottled, like wine, and SO Kept
nan air-tight condition and IN a cool place
for a long time.
IT is evident that the amateur does not
stand much chance Of carrying out this pro-
cess with real success. Generally, the best
he can do is to buy fresh cider from a farmer
and drink it before the acetic acid begins to
form. Even if he has cold storage tac1lltles'
most of the cider that he might buy from
farmers would not serve the purpose OF
shortage because it would probably not have
been pressed under the right conditions or
kept under the right conditions until 1t
came into his hands.
If you wish to have good cider this winter,
your best plan would be to buy barrel OF
cider from some expert cider maker-not an
ordinary farmer. Be sure that the cider
was made in October or November, that it is
put up in good whisky or wine barrel. and
that it has been kept in a cool cellar Then
put it in your own cellar, if you are sure the
temperature there will stay below forty-hVe
degrees If you are not sure of that, rent a
home for your little cider barrel in some local
cold storage plant. By Christmas you will
bavn Something