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SPIRIT
OF
CUERRIES.
13b
KIRSCn-WASSEK,
OR
THE
SPIRITS
OF
CHERRIES.
There
is
a
kind
of
spirits,
prepared
from
cherries,
knowu
by
the
name
of
kirsch'icasscr.
The
name
comes
from
the
German,
and
is
composed
of
two
words
signify-
ing
"water
of
cherries.-'
This
liquor
is
made
to
the
greatest
extent
in
Switzerland
and
Germany,
where
cherry-trees
are
very
common
;
that
consumed
in
France
comes
from
the
neighbourhood
of
the
Foret
ybire.
The
way
of
preparing
the
worts
is
as
follows
:
—
In
the
month
of
July
or
August,
when
cherries
have
arrived
at
matu-
rity,
no
trouble
is
taken
to
pick
them,
and
they
are
brought
down
by
means
of
poles,
which
is
decidedly
a
bad
practice,
because
it
damages
the
trees
;
and
the
cher-
ries,
leaves,
and
small
branches
all
fall
down
together,
which,
gathered
by
children, are
deposited
in
a
trough,
without
any
precaution,
so
that
the
spoiled
and
good
ones
are
all
mixed
together.
This
trough
represent-s
a
cylin-
der
more
wide
than
deep,
and
yielding
according
to
the
extent
of
the
fabrication.
It
is
placed
above
the
fermenting-back
on
two
girders,
which
rest
on
the
borders
of
the
back,
and
are
joined
to-
gether
by
two
cross-pieces
of
the
same
thickness.
This
trough
being
half
or
three-quarters
full,
men,
women,
and
even
children
place
themselves
around
it,
and
pro-
ceed
to
the pressing
of
the
cherries
with
their
hands,
so
as
to set
the
juice
at
liberty.
This
cannot
be
done
per-
f'Hitly,
as
it
may
well
be
supposed,
by
stpeezing
the
cher-
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