every variety foon degenerates to it, and even grafting will not for ever continue the forts: from fome experiments, however, we suspect that the grafts fhould be changed, and we doubt whether art is not carried too far in grafting peculiar forts on peculiar flocks. Grafts from a degenerating tree we have seen fucceed in another county; and the stock should be occafionally changed for the vigorous wilding. For the apple, notwithstanding our author's objections, we are indebted to France, at least for the table-fruit. The Rennette of different kinds is allowed in confequence of its name: why then fhould not we allow the Pippin (Pepin), the Quarington (Charenton) of the Weft, the Nonpareil of Devonshire, &c. &c.? Miller tells us that the golden pippin is peculiar to England, but it is only peculiar as the foil is fuitable, and as it grows here in peculiar perfection. The Stire and the Hagloe crab, the most famous cyder apples of Herefordshire, are kernel-fruits: we would recommend the croffing them occafionally with a wilding stock, for the canker is only the old age of a tree. Mr. Marshall proceeds to confider the management of orchards, and the dif eases as well as accidents the trees are subject to. It is remarkable, that the apple-tree is the handsomest young and the most unfightly old tree: perhaps clearing from mifletoe and mofs, pruning the crooked branches and useless wood, as our author recommends, might render thefe trees more beautiful in their advanced life. Blights ftill continue myfterious: they are und doubtedly local; and, in a fruit-garden, we have been able to draw the line which has limited their extent, and this line prolonged has marked its limits in a neighbouring garden. The infects are only the effects: and the only guard is to keep the tree free from those circumftances which may injure its health. Our author describes the proper management of an orchard with great accuracy, and his hints in general deferve great attention: we know that many of them are very judicious.

On the method of making cyder and its management he is not equally well informed, from his, not having confidered the fubject scientifically, and in a more varied form than the expe rience of two years, one of which afforded little cyder, could allow:

Men in general, fays our author, however, whofe palates are fet to rough cider, confider the common fweet fort as an effeminate beverage; and rough cider properly manufactured, is probably the more generous liquor; being deemed more whole fome, to habits in general, than fweet cider :-even when genuine. That which is drank, in the kingdom at large, is too frequently adulterated. The "ciderman cannot afford to lofe a hoghead; if it will not do, it must be " doctored:" or if found,

it may not be fweet enough for the palate of his customers; nor high enough coloured to please the eye; but the requifite colour and fweetnefs, he finds, are eafily communicated."

We have selected this paffage to remark that the generality of cyder is doctored,' and that the sweet effeminate cyder is the effect of a peculiar process. Cyder resembles the Rhenish; its foftness is the effect of age; and fermentation, which gives it the natural flavour, must be checked to preserve it in the faccharine ftate. Mr. Marshall is not aware, that, from the natural crab-apple, cyder may be procured, which is with refpect to rich mild cyders, what old hock is to the fweeter white wines of Spain and Italy, The management neceffary for this liquor is, to check the fermentation in fome degree, and to meliorate it by age. We have been informed that immediately as it hiffes (provincially fings), it must be racked, and wilding cyder,within the first fix months, has often been racked fixty times. On this account it is feldom made, for the trouble and the ftraining of the casks, with what is often loft from its rapid tendency to fermentation, makes it a very dear beverage. But to

return.

Apples should generally fall; and the practice of beating them down with polling lugs' injures the tree, and leffens the bearing of the following year. We think, with Mr. Marshall, that they should be carried in dry, but they fhould be kept to heat, and, in part, to rot. Many farmers are of opinion, and we have feen reafon to think with them, that a little rottennefs gives a full colour to the cyder; but this is not much attended to in Herefordshire, where the use of burnt fugar is well known. It is only neceffary to avoid the black rot; and the apples should be carefully picked over, to prevent any from being broken which are too far degenerated. The deftruction of the cells, by the brown rot, facilitates the extraction of the juice. Much useless refinement is employed in the defcription of the improvement of the pound. Either of the methods used in Herefordfhire or Devonshire are fully adequate to the end, for the complete extraction is performed by the prefs; and, if the broken apples be well preffed, we know, for we have often examined it, that the kernels are constantly bruised. If the pulp lie from twelve to twenty hours before it be preffed, the kernels and the rinds are infused in the moisture, and we have found the liquor highly flavoured with them, before the preffure has been employed. The choice of fruit is empirical; and it is so well managed, even by ignorant pound-men, that we believe there is not much dependence on it. Mr. Marshall feems to exprefs his furprize that apples are not stolen, without reflecting, that the generality of cyder-fruit is very unpleasant.

• In this country, however, it feems to be generally understood, that cider made from the juice of the pulp alone, is far from being perfect; as wanting, in a great meafure, one of its moft valuable properties-flavour-and fome will fay colour: in being likewife, I believe, pretty generally understood, that the finer ciders owe their fuperior flavour to the kernels, and their colour to the rind *.'

We have feen cyder from the Hagloe-crab very pale; and we have seen some where the tafte of burnt fugar was evident: we have seen too cyder from the prefs very high-coloured; but this was only when the apples were previously rotten. The colour of the rinds has no connection, or at least a flight one, with the future colour of the cyder. We remember, in one of our tours through Devonshire, during the time of making cyder, having enquired into this fubject, and we were told a story of a gentleman who wished to have cyder peculiarly fine. For that purpose, he ordered the rind of the apples and the cores to be feparated; but the cyder was weak and taftelefs, while his fervant, who made cyder from these remains, had what was excellent; the two kinds, however, differed little in colour.

• In the prevailing practice of the district, the liquor is "tun ned;"-that is, put into hogfheads or other cafks ;-immediately from the prefs. The cafks, in the ordinary practice, being filled to the bung-hole. Some judicious managers, how ever, object to the filling up of the cafks; efteeming it more eligible management to leave them about a "pailful ullage." While others, ftill more deeply verfed, perhaps, in this mystery, leave an ullage in proportion to the ripeness of the fruit: thus, with liquor from underripe fruit the cafk is filled; but with that from fruit which is more mature, an ullage is left, in proportion to the state of ripeness.

With respect to the temperature of the air, in which fruit liquor ought to be fermented, nothing accurate, I believe, is to be learnt in this diftri&t. Even the profeffional dealers, I understand, are ftrangers to the ufe of the thermometer! It is, however, generally understood, that fermenting liquors fhould not be expofed to froft. But, in the commencement of the season, it is thought they cannot be kept too cool. In the middle of October, the air then about 60°, the casks were placed in sheds, or in

The Hagloe-crab, however, is an evidence against this idea. It is one of the paleft-rinded apples, which grow; yet produces the highest coloured cyder, which is made. The stire apple is likewife pale-rinded; yet affords a high-coloured liquor. Some are of opinion, that the rind gives the ftrength! Others, that it communicates flavour to the liquor. From a flight examination of the rinds of fruit, they appear to be warm and aromatic; qualities belonging to effential oil; and, it is probable, the pungency may pass as ftrengh; while the aroma may communicate additional Havour.'

airy buildings of the fame, or nearly the fame, temperature as the common atmosphere; and frequently in the open air. Later in the feason, the calks are placed in clofe buildings; with windows, however, to admit occafionally a thorough air; which is generally thought to be falutary to fermenting liquors. Ihave, nevertheless, feen liquor of the most delicate kind fermenting in a clofe hovel, without a thorough air.

No ferment whatever is made ufe of. I have not, at least on repeated enquiry, met with one inftance of any being used: even the most intelligent feem furprifed at the enquiry. Let the fpecies of fruit, the degree of ripeness, and the weather be what they may, the liquor is left to fight its way with its own weapons."

It is much to the credit of the urbanity of the Herefordshire farmers, that they had not laughed aloud, when Mr. Marshall enquired about the ferment-a ferment, when their whole care is to prevent fermentation going too far!-A ferment for a faccharine liquor in September! After this enquiry we should not be furprised if they impofed a little on his crédulity: we more than once fufpected that they had done fo.

The liquor is defecated by ftanding, and its ftate is only known properly by experience; but it can be best discovered by fuffering the liquor to ftand in an open veffel. The nicety is not great when the fcum becomes fo denfe as to divide in clefts, the liquor is drawn off, fince otherwise the head would break,' and another defecation must be waited for, as the former fcum would fubfide. The cyder is then tunned, and, if ithiffes,' the fermentation is too rapid, and it is again racked. The wilding cyder must be affiduoufly watched, and drawn off at the first moment of hifling, or no veffel could contain it : we have feen it burft iron hoops, within a few hours after the hiffing began. The lees are filtered, and

The filtered liquor, which ought to drop fine from the bag, is added to the reit; from which it differs in three notable qualities: it is higher-coloured than that which has not mixed with the lees: it is no longer prone to fermentation; on the contrary it is found to check that of the liquor racked off; and, another, if it afterward lose its brightness it is difficult to be recovered.'

Is this furprifing, when the lees contain the parts of the apple attenuated by rotting, when it has been expofed in small quantities with large furfaces to the air?-Mr. Marshall is far from being at home' in the whole of this difcuffion.

Our author's directions to produce fweet liquor are very proper, and he feems to be fully aware of the distinctions we have made; but his method of producing auftere liquor would produce vinegar. Chufe, he fays, auftere fruits, grind them in an

unripe state, and subject the liquor to a full fermentation. This is wholly theoretical. Chufe auftere fruits, let them be fully ripened, and check the fermentation carefully. Auftere fruits run into a rapid fermentation; and, if iron veffels could be framed to keep them, for no others would be fufficient, they would in a few months be acid. We have, however, often thought that if the air could be completely excluded after the firft fermentation has ceafed, they might be meliorated by age; but the age must be very great: it is the principle on which rhenish is meliorated. The coccagee cyder, from a peculiar apple of the fame name, is made almoft exclufively in Somerfetshire.

When Mr. Marshall treats of doctoring' cyder, he seems not to be fully initiated into the whole of the mystery. The following obfervations, peculiar to Herefordshire, will, however, we think, be new to many of our readers.

Brightness is obtained through different means.

born cafes when the foulnefs is great, and the liquor will neither "fine nor fret"-being what is technically termed "fulkey"-yet is under circumstances which require that it should prefently put on a cheerful countenance-it is drenched with bullocks blood :" namely the blood of cattle or sheep: the blood of fwine is rejected with judaical fcrupuloufnefs.

The method of preparing and adminiftring the blood is this. The only preparation of it is that of flirring it well, as it is drawn from the animal; to prevent its parts from feparating. Stirring it one way is not deemed fufficient; it ought to be stirred both ways, for about a quarter of an hour. The next thing is to enquire whether the liquor be in the mood for "taking the blood;" which it is not, it feems, equally at all times. This is done by repeating experiments with it in a phial: if it will take the blood in a vial, it will take it in the caík. A quart, or lefs quantity, is fufficient for a hogthead. After the blood is poured in, the liquor fhould be violently agitated, to mix the whole intimately together. This is done by a ftick, flit into four quarters, inferted at the bung-hole, and worked about briskly, every way among the liquor, until the whole be evenly blended. In about twenty-four hours, the blood will be gone down, and the liquor ought to be racked; for by "lying upon the blood," even two or three days, the liquor is liable to receive a taint, which is not eafily got rid of. A most extraordinary effect of this process is, that the blood carries down, not only the feculency, but the colour, of the liquor: rendering it, though ever fo highly coloured, limpid almoft as water! This, however, is a lofs which is the lefs regretted; as means of restoring it are fo easy and so effectual.'

Good, genuine cyder, when it has done fermenting, is for fome months ftopped flightly; but a fcum rifes to the top, which VOL, LXIX. March 1790.

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