The amount of chemical work done on cider is not nearly so great as has been done on wine. In fact the published analyses of cider are very few and are confined almost entirely to other countries. I have not been able to find a single published analysis of American cider.

The following analysis of Alsatian cider was made by Boussingault, and dates back to 1863:

Grams per liter.

Alcohol...

69.95

Sugar....

15.40

Glycerine and succinic acid....

2.58

Carbonic acid....

0.27

Malic acid.....

7.74

Acetic acid.....

Traces.

Gummy matters.....

1.41

Potash.....

1.55

Lime, Chlorine, etc.......

0.20

Nitrogenous matter......

0.12

Water.........

980. 78

"Rousseau has published the mean of twenty analyses of Brittany cider, but his results are so low that it is thought by French authorities that his samples had been watered:

Alcohol, per cent. by volume.........

2.5

Extract grams per liter.........

19.3

Sugar........

2.5

Total ash...........

1.52

Ash soluble in water..........

1.17

The following are analyses of pure ciders from different parts of France, made in the Paris Laboratory; the figures are in grams per liter:

Pure cider, 1877, Bois-Guillaume.

Pure cider, made in 1876, Yvetot.

Old cider.

Pure cider, 1878, Yvetot.

Pure cider, "gros cidre," 1880, near Bayeux.

Cider No. 2.

Cider, 1st class.

Pure cider, "gros cidre," 1880, Bagneux.

Alcohol, in weight per liter

47.40

41.08

37.92

34.76

23.70

7.90

25.30

19.75

Extract dried at 100° C........

57. 60

30. 90

20.90

61.30

53.20

69.70

81. 20

63.80

Extract dried in vacuo

60. 10

37.60

27.00

72. 70

60.80

82.00

92.60

75.00

Total ash ..................

3.50

2.50

2.50

3.00

2.60

2.54

2.30

2.80

Analysis of the ash.

...

...

....

Phosphates insoluble in water

0.38

...

0.25

0.30

0.45

0.62

0.17

20.55

Carbonate of potash...........

2.23

...

1.40

2.00

1.80

1.51

Other alkaline salts............

0.89

...

0.85

0.70

0.35

0.41

.......

.........

Reducing sugar...............

20.00

7.50

4.40

3.70

16.50

36. 00

39.00

25. 00

Acidity expressed as H1SO4 --

3.60

4.07

5.36

4.54

3.23

2.68

...

2.08

Acidity of the cider dried in

vacuo

2.50

2.40

2.59

2.31

2.68

1.11

...

1.48

Of these samples the first four had undergone a good fermentation. They furnish the following average composition for the principal constituents :

Alcohol, per cent. by volume...

5.2

Extract per liter, at 100o C.....

41.18

Sugar....

8.90

Ash.....

2.87

The other four samples were partially unfermented, or sweet, ciders. Their average composition was as follows:

Alcohol, per cent. by volume.................

1.70

Extract per liter, at 100o C....................

66.98

Ash...........................................

2.56

From these means the Municipal Laboratory deduces the following as a type of composition for pure ciders:

Alcohol, per cent. by volume....

5.66

Extract per liter, at 100° C....................

30.00

Ash..........................................

2.80

Recent analyses of pure ciders, from different parts of France, published by M. G. Lechartier,1 have shown great variations from this type, and show the necessity for the examination of large numbers of samples from various parts of the country for the establishment of a proper standard of analysis.