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The Mirror Of Literature, Amusement, And Instruction - Volume 14, No. 391, September 26, 1829 by Various
page 19 of 48 (39%)
of _Tropical Climates_; the first are subdivided into Fleshy, Pulpy,
and Stone Fruits and Nuts, in preference to a strict geographical
arrangement. Under "the Apple" occur some very judicious observations
on

_CIDER._

"The cider counties of England have always been considered as highly
interesting. They lie something in the form of a horse-shoe round
the Bristol Channel; and the best are, Worcester and Hereford, on
the north of the channel, and Somerset and Devon on the south. In
appearance, they have a considerable advantage over those counties
in which grain alone is cultivated. The blossoms cover an extensive
district with a profusion of flowers in the spring, and the fruit is
beautiful in autumn. Some of the orchards occupy a space of forty or
fifty acres; and the trees being at considerable intervals, the land
is also kept in tillage. A great deal of practical acquaintance with
the qualities of soil is required in the culture of apple and pear
trees; and his skill in the adaptation of trees to their situation
principally determines the success of the manufacturer of cider
and perry. The produce of the orchards is very fluctuating; and the
growers seldom expect an abundant crop more than once in three years.
The quantity of apples required to make a hogshead of cider is from
twenty-four to thirty bushels; and in a good year an acre of orchard
will produce somewhere about six hundred bushels, or from twenty to
twenty-five hogsheads. The cider harvest is in September. When the
season is favourable, the heaps of apples collected at the presses are
immense--consisting of hundreds of tons. If any of the vessels used in
the manufacture of cider are of lead, the beverage is not wholesome.
The price of a hogshead of cider generally varies from 2l. to 5l.,
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