The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-07-26
CIDER AND fruit
Juice RULINGS
May Be Sold Only to Per-
sons Permitted to
Make Vinegar
AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL
MUST BE KEPT DOWN
Purchaser Must Not Possess Them Aft
er Alcoholic Content Becomes One
as to Commercial Use.

as to Commercial Use.
States Attorney E. w. Gibson has re-
eeived from j. E. Kennedy, collector of
internal revenue for the district of Yer
to procedure in regard to cider and
fruit juices. The text of the letter fol-
lows:
Replying to your letter of July 18th,
am enclosing MIN. 81, which explains
the procedure in regard to cider and fruit
juices.
Fruit juices may be manufactured for
home use, regardless of the fact that in
time they win become more than one
half of one per cent of alcohol by volume
In this connection they are held to be
notwithstanding in fact, rather than
Notwithstanding as defined by Section
of the Volstead Act
However, such fruit juices and cider
may not be sold except to persons hold
ing permits to manufacture vinegar. A
farmer may take his apples to a customs
mill and have cider made. and then use
it exclusively in his home. This would
of course, include bonafide guests A
person, however, may not make the So
called home brews without being liable
to the full penalties provided by the
Volstead Act
A paragraph in mimeograph s4, to
which the collector refers, saws that IF
the making such cider and fruit Juices
desires to do so, he may % sell such
cider and fruit juices at any time to per-
sons having permits to make vinegar:
this he may do under the provisions of
said Section 20. (2) if he preserves such
cider and fruit juices at the time they
are made, he may sell same to the public
in general; this he may do under the
provisions of Section 4, of Title III of
said Act. Oh Or he may sell said cider
and other fruit juices so long as they
contain less than one-half of one per cent
of alcohol, but the purchasers thereof
cannot use or possess the same after
they contain more than one half of one
per cent of alcohol; this he NAV do under
the provisions of Sections | and 3 of
Title II of said Act
From the above it will be seen that a
person buying cider of a farmer must
use it or preserve it before the alcoholic
content becomes one half of one per
cent. otherwise he is liable TO prosecution.
This regulation, however. is not intended
to cover the commercial use of cider and
fruit juices
With respect to the manufacture of
sweet cider for commercial purposes it is
the duty of the manufacturer to see that
it is marketed in such way that the
alcoholic content shall not reach one and
one-half per cent, otherwise he will be
held responsible This provision is con
tanned in Section SO of Article V of the
Nolstead Act, which reads as follows:
Sweet cider containing less than one,
half of ! per cent of alcohol by volume
may be manufactured and sold without
the necessity of obtaining permit. pro-
vided such product is put up and mar
keted in sterile closed containers or is
treated by the addition of benzoate of
soda, or other substance which will pre-
vent fermentation, in such proportion as
TO insure the alcoholic content remaining
below one-half of l per cent of alcohol
by volume. The responsibility for keep
ing the alcoholic content below such per
centage rests upon the manufacturer. and
in any case where cider is found upon
the market containing alcohol in excess
of the allowed percentage the. manufac-
turer will be presumed to have manufac-
tured and sold an Intoxicating LIQUOR"