170
· DISTILLATION.
verized charcoal, distributed through a series
of cylindrical casks, placed so that the liquor
may run evenly through the charcoar and
other material, care having been taken in
properly mixing the
raw iohislcey
and
water;
otherwise the water would pass through first,
from the fact of the high wines containing
such a quantity of oil as
to
render them
much lighter than the water, :vhich, unless
thoroughly 1nixed, would remain on top.
Any number of casks rnay be used; each
one must have a double bottom, the false one
being perforated with conical or round holes
about one-half inch in diameter, and placed_
a few inches above the true. Upon this perfo–
rated bottom, a layer of clean chopped straw,
or cleanly carded cotton, or a ·woolen blanket is
laid, and over the straw, woolen blanket, or
cotton, a stratum of clean gravel, the size of
large peas; on the gravel place six inches of
coal, then one-half peck of barley malt, then
fill
up to within one and a half feet of the top,
,,.