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"APPLE SASS"
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and the root of the rhatany. In fact, genuine
port can be so closely imitated as to deceive
many a good judge j and it really seems wonder
ful that the British farmer does not go in for
making port wine, with apples so plentiful and
cheap, and beet, mangels, and elderberries so
easy to cultivate. In fact, given the time, and
the materials, I am convinced that I could pro
duce an excellent '98 wine for laying down, for
hospital purposes, public rejoicings, or iniladt's
boudoir.
Cider, like all other useful drinks, can be, and
is, imitated; and Bands of Hope and other
well-meaning but misguided associations are
chiefly responsible for this. What is known
at Sunday - school treats and Salvation Army
marriage-feasts as " non-alcoholic cider " has been
found, on analysis, to be " a water solution of
sugar and citric acid, flavoured with apple
essence." It's the flavouring as does it.
"Harvest cider," as home-made for the
"hands," is dreadful stuff, and absolutely unfit
for human consumption.
Apples which have
fallen of themselves, or been blown off the trees,
" windfalls," are left on the ground to rot, and
be eaten of slugs and wasps; and are then
shovelled into the cider-mill, together with
leaves, stalks, slugs, wasps, dirt of all sorts,
spiders, ear-wigs, wire-worms, " Daddy Long-
legs "-es, and—other things; the whole being
converted into a species of "hell-broth," which
would have done credit to the best efforts of the
witches in Macbeth^ when properly mixed.
For a long time the Germans held aloof from
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