79

Concerning C I D E R.

better insolaled or ruddy Fruit of the best kind, as taken, from theSouth Tart of the Tree, or from a Soil that renders them richer. Butmy Lord Scudamore' s is safely of the best fort: And Mr. Whin gate ofthe Grange in Dimoc, and some of Kings-capel, do belt knowthese and other differences, Straked-Must, right Red-strake, red Red'strake, &c.

40. The greenish Must, (formerly called in the Language of theCountry, the Green-fillet ) when the Liquor is of a kindly ripeness,retains a Greenness equal to the Rhenijh-glass ; which I note for themthat conceive no Cider to be fit for use till it be of the colour of oldSack.

41. To direct: a little most Caution, for enquiry of the right Red'strakc, I should give notice that some Months ago, Ms.Philips ofMount ague in Somerset/hire, shewed me a very fair large Red-strake■Apple, that by smell and sight seem’d to me and to another of Here-fordjhire, then with me, to be the best Red-strake \ but when we didcut it, and taste it, we both denied it to be right ( the other with muchmore confidence than my self) but Mr. Phi lists making Cider of it, thisWeek invited me to it, assuring that already it equals or resembles High-country Wines. It had not such plenty of Juice as our Red-ftrakes withus, and it had more of the Pleasantness of Table-sruit , which mightbe occasional, for ought I know, by the purer and quicker Soil. ThisApple is here called Meriot-Tsnot, and great store of them are at Meri-ot, a Village not far distant: Possibly, this Meriot may prove to be theRed-strake of Somersetshire, when they shall please to try it apart withequal diligence and constancy as they do in Herefordjhire : This Fruitis of a very lovely hue, and by some conceived to be of affinity to theRed-Jersey Apple, which is reported to tinge so deeply: In truth,there can hardly be a deeper ‘Purple, than is our right HerefordjhireRed-strake, having a few Strakes towards the Eye, of a dark colour,of Orange-tawny intermingled : But, 'tisno wonder if an Apple shouldchange its Name in travelling ib far beyond the Severn, when even in .this Country, most forts of Apples, and especially Cider-sruit, loieththe Name in the next Village.

42. I may now ask why we should talk of other Cider-sruit or Per-ry, if the best Red-ftrake have all the aforesaid Pre-eminences of richerand more veiny Liquor, by half sooner an Orchard, more constantlyherring, &c. An Orchard of Red-strakes is commonly as full of Fruitat ten Years, as other Cider-sruit at twenty Years, or as the Pippinand Pearmain at thirty os thereabout.

43- To this may be answered, that all Soil bear not Apples, and tosome Soils other Apples may be more kind; and if we be driven toferry, much we may lay both in behalf of the Perry , and os dieTear, of the Fruit, and of the Tree : It is the goodlier Tree for aCrove, to shelter a House and Walks from Summers Heat and Winterscold Winds, and far mo st lasting-, the plcasantest Cider-Pear oi a knownName amongst them, is the Horse-Pear. And it is much argued, whe-ther the White-horse Pear, or the Red-horse Pear be the better; whereoth are bejt, within two Miles they differ in Judgment. The Pearbears almost its weight of lprightful winy Liquor ; and I always preferredthe tawny or ruddy Horse-pear, and generally that Colour in all Pearshat are proper for Perry.

44-1 rejected Palladius against the durablcness of Perry : his Wordsre > Hyeme durat, fed prima acescit astute , Tit. 2 . 5 . Febr. possibly so