Evening star., 1933-10-29
Advent of the Cider Season
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

There Is Biblical assurance that no
aroma in the world surpasses the smell
of apples and no one who has dwelt
in rural America, especially in the
Northern States. or in any other tenn
perate Cline where the apple fiourishes;
Is likely to dispute the claim. TO iln1
the very essence. the essential altar OF
apples one must know a cider mill.
On q crisp late october or carly No
vember day whoever seeks abroad 70
find Autumn sitting careless on some
granary floor may occasionally find the
vigorous air mysteriously laden with
fragrance out of Eden Keats 1t was
who said that Autumn might be found
on some half-reaped furrow sound
asleep, drowsed by the fume of poppies,
while his hook spared the next swathe
and all its twined flowers. Far more
likely that Autumn thus paused beside
some gray old cider mill, enthralled by
the smell of apples.
Cider has been called the American
national beverage. 1t is not peculiar
tc the United States. England, France
and many another temperate zone
nation makes cider, but 1t Is true tnat
the Juice of the apple has special con-
notations with American life. In no
other country do apples grow in richer
abundance or over so broad an expanse.
There was a time when not farm
lacked its apple orchard. 1t was but
little more than a century ago tnat
Appleseed John. that curious hermetic
prophet of the Northwest Territory,
spent a lifetime in wandering over
carts of three or four States, punctuat-
ing his pilgrimages with paintings OF
apple seeds So, in addition to the
thousands Of titled and pruned apple
OF chards, the country knew literally
thousands of apple trees planted by
the side of the road, in open pastures,
on the edge of woodlands, beside
streams, the myriad -branched monu-
ment of Appleseed John. A few gnarled
and haggard trees Of his planting still
stand.
Cider was a natural beverage for the
pioneer American. It's making was
easy. No elaborate machinery was re-
ouired. Its raw material was fruit,
of which there was so great a surplus
that the product could not be humanity
consumed. 1t was a beTerage which. IN
one stage, was suited to the dellcate
palates and light heads of women and
children. while in another it became
sort of Vikings berserk nectar.
Americas Natural Beverage.
So characteristic of America was this
drink that it become the symbol OF
presidential campaign. William Henry
Harrison, who, incidentally, came from
the very heart Of Appleseed Johns do
main, was swept to victory on hard
cider platform.
It must be remembered that In the
early days Of America there were not a
hundred or two different kinds OF soft
drinks available. There was not a SODA
fountain in the whole broad land. Lem
onade was unknown, because there were
no lemons. China oranges were rar-
ity, which appeared only at Christmas,
and then only along the Eastern sea
board, where they had been brought
from far voyages. Breweries were SLOW
in starting and distilleries were few.
Wines were imported from Oporto, from
the Madeira and the Canary 1slanc5
and from France, but wine was expen-
sive So cider-sweet cider for mild
tastes and hard for robust ones-in-
evitably became the national beverage.
Especially so because one could have
it for nothing save the trouble of gath
ering the apples and pressing them.
There was more man power than money
power in the country in those days.
The making Of hard cider is nat
ural process. Make cider by pressing