MR. JAMRS MASON'S CIDER MANUFACTORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7639, 17 May 1886, Page 6

MR. JAMRS MASON'S CIDER MANUFACTORY.

Compabatively few people are aware that an entirely new industry, so far as Auckland is concerned, has been started within the laat few months by Mr. James Mason, of the well-known Parnell Nursery, in premises just off the Manukau Road, nearly opposite the Parnell Grammar School. This is the manufacture of perry and oider from looally-grown pears aud apples. Mr. Maeon has not only started the business, but may be said to have brought it to a successful issue already, and when it is taken into consideration what an impetus this industry will supply to fruit-growing its importance oannot be over-estimated in a country where fruit-growing can be brought to each perfection. Of course the plant had to be imported before the process of manufacture could be commenced, aud a brief description of the machinery and process may be of. some interest. The plant, we may begin by saying, is from the wellknown firm of Beare and Son, of Newton Abbot, England. The first portion is the oider mill, in which the fruit is first treated. In appearance it is not unlike a large turnipcutting machine. There is a hopper on the top, into which the fruit is thrown, and here it is broken up by a roller, on which there are fixed a number of cogs. The broken fruit then passes between two granite rollers, about 1$ inches in diameter, working close to eaoh other, but in opposite directions, and here the fruit is bruised into a pulp. This pulp is next mixed with olean wheaten straw, to give it consistence, and it is tbon placed under a powerful press, worked with double iron screws. The bottom portion, on which the "cheese" is placed, ia a wooden platform, about five feet square, with a spout iu front, from which the juice, as it is expressed, runs off into tubs. From this it is transferred to barrels, where it ia fermented in the same manner as beer. Thore is no water used—nothing, in fact, but the pure juice of the fruit, and after it has properly fermented, it is racked off into hogsheads. The whole process is simple aud inexpeniive. There is no steam machinery, although, of course, that could be employed in lieu of hand-power ; but by handpower alone, two men can crush and press enough fruit in a day to make three barrels of oider. Mr. Mason informed our reporter and a number of gentlomeu who visited his establishment recently that he has found, notwithstanding the fruit-producing capacity of the Auckland province, that there is really a scarcity of fruit, although any clase of apple is suitable for the purpose. He has been paying Jd and Id per lb for the fruit he has used, and this affords a ready market to the growers for fruit which would be unsaleable in the ordinary market. The grower can select the beet fruit for the market supply, and Mr. Mason will purchase from them all of inferior quality, as theae will make as good cider as the best and soundest fruit. He has already on hand some 20 hogsheads of oider, but none of it has yet been placud on the market, and Mr. Mason intends to hold it over until spring, by which time it will have the necessary age.

By the same process which we have described perry is manufactured from pears, and as this ia a much-prized liquor it will, no doubt, find a ready sale, ihe viaitnrs tested some of the cider asd perry which had been bottled, and some of them who were good judges state that, except that it wants age, it is of first-rate quality. It i« certainly a light and refreshing drink, and when it finds its way into the market it will have a ready sale. Mr. Mason has cot yet made a calculation of the cost of production to enable him to judge at what price he can afford to supply it in quantity, but he has no reason to believs that the coat will be very great. The advantage to the fruitgrowers will be considerable, affording them, as it does, a ready market for all damaged and otherwise unsaleable fruit. Iu forwarding the fruit to the cider factory no great care need be taken in packing. They can be placed in sacks like potatoee, as for the purposes of cider-making it does not matter whether ice fruit is bruised or disfigured in transit. Mr. Mason informs us that he is prepared to supply any quantity of apple trees at a very reaeonble rate, having upwards of 100,000 trees of one and two years' growth on hand, and these would soon begin to yield a large and profitable crop. He statee that any variety of apple is suitable for cider-making ; but amongst tbe best and most productive classes, of which he has a large quantity on blightproof " Majetin" stocks, are the Bland Kose, Red Normanby, Forest Styre, Foxley, Garter, Haglo Crab, Izard'a Kernel, Siberian Bitter-sweet, and Siberian Yarrow—all of which are large and early producers. It will thus be seen that the industry is a very important one for settlers generally, and we wish Mr. Mason every success in his enterprise.