If such was the accredited character of Cider, it is not surprising that its popularity was at one time unequalled by any other beverage known, nor that in the days of heavy taxation it should have been made to bear the greatest burden. Townsend, in his “Manual of Dates,” in- forms us that “ In addition to the hereditary duty on Cider granted by 12 Charles II. (1660), a duty of 4s. per hogshead was levied by 13 William III. (1701), upon all Cider and perry made in England.” These duties, having undergone various modifications, were repealed in 1830. The year 1763 and - following saw the highest rate of taxation, which continued up to the time when it was removed altogether, the result being, as already explained, destruc- tive to the industry. Cicler became an expensive drink, For details respecting Culinary Processes , Utensils, 1 Cider — continued. and was, therefore, forsaken by the working classes. French wines took the place of Cider at the tables of the wealthy, and as orchards became rapidly at a dis- count, they were dismantled without mercy, until it is now an admitted fact that there are not sufficient apples grown in England to meet the demand. England lias long since yielded her Cider-making priority to other nations, notably France, United States, and Canada, either country producing many times the quantity of Cider produced in Great Britain from either home-grown or imported fruit. The kind of apple best suited for yielding Cider has long been a subject of dispute ; but as no positive decision has even yet been arrived at, it is not improbable that all apples are suitable, and that the rough or Cider apple, as it is called, is more generally used because it is a much commoner kind than the sweeter varieties, and grows in the hedgerows of Cider countries without much cultivation or that loss from depredators that the unguarded position would appear to invite. Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Dorset- shire, Devonshire, and some other counties claim pre- eminence for their Cider, to which they are in a measure entitled ; but it is a question how far the quality of the Cider produced depends upon the county in which the fruit was grown, the soil, the kind of apple, or the process and skill of manufacture. The first act of Cider-making is to gather the fruit when it is ripe, and then to select that alone which is sound, for rotten apples are apt to impart disagreeable flavours. Having sorted the apples carefully, they must Fig. 471. Cider-mill. be crushed so that the juice cells may be burst. For this purpose various machines have been invented ; but the most satisfactory of all is one containing two wooden fluted rollers, fed by a hopper, and worked by the turning of a crank (Fig. 471). The juice that runs from the Cider-mill should be caught in a pan or other suitable vessel, and emptied at once into the fermenting-vat. The apples should be so crushed up that no piece larger than a filbert should be allowed to pass through the mill. To ensure this, it is sometimes advisable to pass the apples a second time through the mill. As the pieces fall, they may be caught on a coarse cane sieve resting on the pan used to collect the freed juice. The next work is the pressing of the fruit, which should immediately follow the crushing ; but some Cider-makers allow the crushed fruit to stand, before pressing, for ten 2 l 2

AI-modernized reading of the original text

If such was the accredited character of Cider, it is not surprising that its popularity was at one time unequalled by any other beverage known, nor that in the days of heavy taxation it should have been made to bear the greatest burden. Townsend, in his “Manual of Dates,” informs us that “ In addition to the hereditary duty on Cider granted by 12 Charles II. (1660), a duty of 4s. per hogshead was levied by 13 William III. (1701), upon all Cider and perry made in England.” These duties, having undergone various modifications, were repealed in 1830. The year 1763 and - following saw the highest rate of taxation, which continued up to the time when it was removed altogether, the result being, as already explained, destructive to the industry. Cider became an expensive drink, For details respecting Culinary Processes , Utensils, 1 Cider — continued. and was, therefore, forsaken by the working classes. French wines took the place of Cider at the tables of the wealthy, and as orchards became rapidly at a discount, they were dismantled without mercy, until it is now an admitted fact that there are not sufficient apples grown in England to meet the demand. England lias long since yielded her Cider-making priority to other nations, notably France, United States, and Canada, either country producing many times the quantity of Cider produced in Great Britain from either home-grown or imported fruit. The kind of apple best suited for yielding Cider has long been a subject of dispute ; but as no positive decision has even yet been arrived at, it is not improbable that all apples are suitable, and that the rough or Cider apple, as it is called, is more generally used because it is a much commoner kind than the sweeter varieties, and grows in the hedgerows of Cider countries without much cultivation or that loss from depredators that the unguarded position would appear to invite. Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Dorsetshire, Devonshire, and some other counties claim preeminence for their Cider, to which they are in a measure entitled ; but it is a question how far the quality of the Cider produced depends upon the county in which the fruit was grown, the soil, the kind of apple, or the process and skill of manufacture. The first act of Cider-making is to gather the fruit when it is ripe, and then to select that alone which is sound, for rotten apples are apt to impart disagreeable flavours. Having sorted the apples carefully, they must Fig. 471. Cider-mill. be crushed so that the juice cells may be burst. For this purpose various machines have been invented ; but the most satisfactory of all is one containing two wooden fluted rollers, fed by a hopper, and worked by the turning of a crank (Fig. 471). The juice that runs from the Cider-mill should be caught in a pan or other suitable vessel, and emptied at once into the fermenting-vat. The apples should be so crushed up that no piece larger than a filbert should be allowed to pass through the mill. To ensure this, it is sometimes advisable to pass the apples a second time through the mill. As the pieces fall, they may be caught on a coarse cane sieve resting on the pan used to collect the freed juice. The next work is the pressing of the fruit, which should immediately follow the crushing ; but some Cider-makers allow the crushed fruit to stand, before pressing, for ten 2 l 2

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