Cassell's dictionary of cookery

Prom the top of one 'pillar to the other is -extended a cross-bar of considerable scantling, not under six inches square, and through the middle of this is a hole with a concave screw, which receives the convex screw that constitutes the press. The perpendicular convex screw is attached at its lower end to a pressing board, ■which slides up and down between the two pillars, and has had square pieces cut out of its ends to receive the pillars, which by this contrivance keej) it always in its place, while it follows the screw in its ascent or descent. The pressing board follows the screw because the latter is so attached that it can turn freely in the pressing board, but cannot be drawn out. The pressing board is made equally thick with the rectangular board which constitutes the basis of the whole press. The screw, near where it is inserted into the pressing board is made to swell into a bulb ; and through this are two cross holes to admit an iron bar, for the purpose of acting as a lever in working the press. The whole is made of hard wood, firmly put together by dove-tails, and strengthened with iron cramps. The pressing board may be screwed down even until it meets the bottom board ; or it may be screwed up until it arrives at the top cross-bar. It is obvious, from the construction of this press, that if a bag of apple- juice be submitted to its action, the juice wiU be forced out, but wiU run over its bottom board and go to waste. In order to prevent this, a tin tray is made use of. This tray is rectangular, its area is a little less than that of the pressing board; it is shallow, its rims being only about two inches in height. Proceeding from one side, corresponding with the front of the press, a pipe emerges, so that whatever juice is forced through the bag of pulp win trickle down the sides of the bag, will be received in the tray, and from this will flow through the pipe into a vessel placed beneath. The pipe is somewhat bent downward for the purpose of more freely delivering itself. It is to be observed that when a bag of pulp is to be pressed, it must be set standing on its end in the middle of the tray, and immediately under the screw above. The bag need not be tied round its mouth, but only folded over loosely ; the pressing board will keep it sufficiently tight. The bag may be made of strong canvass or hair-cloth, strongly sewed with double thread or pack-thread. These are the chief articles of apparatus required for domestic cider-making. In crushing the apples, it will not answer to throw a number of them into the tub at once, and to commence pounding them. In this way vast labour would be expended in doing the business very badly. The proper mode is to throw in half a dozen first, and crush them well, which will be done with three or four strokes of the pounder ; then another half dozen may be thrown in and similarly treated. 'WTien there is so much pulp in the tub as to embarrass the further crushing of the fruit, it must be transferred into any other wooden vessel. The apples being all reduced to a tolerably small pulp, the next part of the process is to express the juice. The pulp thrown into the canvas bag is to be put under the press, and I