99

Concerning CIDER.

withstanding the Trees have been grassed with equal Care, the fameGraffs, and lastly, the fame Care taken in the making of the Cider.This as to the Red-Jtrake ; I have not observ’d the lame Nicenejs ina ny other Fruit ; for Gennet-moyles and Fillets thrive very well overall Herefordjhire. The Red-strake delights most in a fat Soil: Ham -^ ac y is a rich intermix’d Soil of Redsat-clay and Sand ; and Kings-Ca pel a low hot sandy Ground, both well defended from noxious Winds ,and both very famous for the Red-Jlrake-Cider.

There is a Tear in Hereford and Worcesierjhires, which is calledBareland-Tear, which makes a very good Cider. I call it Cider(and not Terry ) because it hath all the Troperties of Cider. I havedrank of it from half a Year old to two Years old. It keeps it feltwithout Roping ( to which Terry is generally inclin’d;) and from itsTaste, Dr. Be al, in his little Treatise, called the Heresordjhire-Crcbard, calls it deiervingly a Masculine Drink \ because in Taste notlike the sweet luscious Feminine Juice of Tears. This Tree thrivesvery well in barren Ground, and is a Fruit (with the Red-strake )of which Swine will not eat; therefore fittest to be planted in Hedge-rows.

Redstrake and other Cider Apples, when ripe (which you mayknow partly by the blackness of the Kernels, and partly by the Co-lour and Smell of the Fruit) ought to be gathered in Baskets orBags, preserved from bruising, and laid up in Heaps in the Orchardto Swgat ; covered every Night from the Dew : Or else in a Barn-floor (or the like) with some Wheat or Rye-Jlraw under them, be-ing kept so long, till you find, by their Mellowing, they are fit for the

Mill.

They that grind, or bruise their Apples presently upon their Ga-thering, receive so much Liquor from them, that between twenty ortwenty two Bushels will make a Hogshead of Cider : But this CiderWill neither keep ib well, nor drink with such a Fragrancy as is defi-ned and endeavoured.

They that keep them a Month or sx IVeeks hoarded, allow aboutthirty Bujhels to the making of a Hogshead ; but this hath abb anInconvenience ; in that the Cider becomes not fine, or fit for drinking,lo conveniently as a Mean betwixt these two will afford.

Keep them then about a Fortnight in a Hoard, and order them tohe of inch a Cafi by this Mellowing, that about Twenty five Bujhelsrnay make a Hogjhead, after which Mellowing proceed thus.

i. Tick and clear your Apples from their Stalks, Leaves, Moazi-ness, or any Thing that tends towards Rottenness or Decay.

i. Lay them before the Stone in the Cider-Mill, or else beat themsmall with Beaters (such as Taviours use to fix their pitching ) indeep Troughs of IVood or Stone till they are fit for the Press.

Z. Having laid clean Wheat-Straw in the bottom of your Tress yla y a Heap of bruised Apples upon it, and ib with small Handfuls, ortvijps of Straw , which by twisting takes along with-it the ends ofthe Straw laid first in the bottom, proceed with the bruised Apples,^ n d follow the Heaps with your twisted Straw, till it comes to theHeight of two Foot, or two Foot and a half; and so with some Strawdrawn in by Twisting, and turned over the top of it (so that thebruised Apples are set as it were into a deep Cheese-vat of Straw,r °m which the Country People call it their Cider-cheese ) let ther Board