Cider is the fermented juice of the apple. It is an article of very general use, especially in those parts of the country where fruitgrowing is carried on. Statistics of the amount produced or consumed are rather difficult to obtain, and I am unable to present any definite statement on the subject. It is quite a favorite article of home production, nearly every farmer in regions where apples are grown making his barrel of cider for use through the winter; but a large amount also finds its way into the city markets, finding ready purchasers among people who still retain their taste for the drink, acquired during a childhood on the "old farm." A considerable quantity is also consumed in the shape of bottled cider, "champagne cider," "sparkling cider," and similar substitutes for, or imitations of, champagne wine, large quantities of this clarified cider being produced in some parts of the country, notably New Jersey. Most of the cheaper kinds of champagne (American champagne) are made in this way.

In England and France considerable quantities of cider find their way into the markets, though it is there, as here, largely an article of home consumption. Certain parts of those countries are famous for the quality of their ciders, notably Normandy, in France, and Herefordshire and Devonshire, in England. France produced, in 1883, 23,493,000 hec-to liters (620,211,200 gallons) of cider, or over one-half of the quantity of wine produced, and three times as much as the total quantity of malt liquors.