New York AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 165 
cases the solids were below 2 per ct. but later rose in 3 cases 
above 2 per ct. Most of the cases where the solids kept below 
2 per ct. had suffered destructive fermentation and were not in 
reality vinegar at all. 
The method employed by us in estimating solids,—drying about 
5 grams 6 to 8 hours on about 20 grams of sand at 212° F., gives 
results that are somewhat low as compared with drying for a 
‘shorter period of time, and the question naturally arises as to 
what method will give correct results. At the time we began 
our work, there was no uniform method in general use and we 
employed our method because it was in common use with mate- 
rials somewhat resembling apple juice and vinegar. 
Most of the laws in different States, including New York, use 
the expression, “solids on full evaporation over boiling water.” 
The question at once suggests itself as to what constitutes “ full 
evaporation.” Different methods are employed by different 
chemists in determining solids in vinegar. Thus, in Bulletin 
No. 65 of the Bureau of Chemistry, U. S. Department of Agri- 
culture, the provisional method recommended is as follows: 
“ Evaporate 10 cc. in a tared platinum dish of 50 mm. diameter 
on the steam bath to a sirupy consistency, dry for 214 hours in 
the drying oven at the temperature of boiling water.” Leach 
and Lythgoe, of the Department of Food and Drug Inspection 
of the Massachusetts State Board of Health, use the following 
method: “Five grams of vinegar are weighed into a tared, 
flat-bottomed platinum dish, subjected for an hour to direct con- 
tact with the live steam of a boiling water bath.” That these 
different methods give varying results can readily be seen from 
the following table; in this work flat-bottomed platinum dishes 
of 50 mm. diameter were used: 
TaBLE XXI.—RESULTS OF DETERMINATION OF VINEGAR SOLIDS BY 
DirFErENt MeErHops. 
Drying 1 hr. over boiling Drying to syrup and then drying Drying on sand 8 hrs in 
water. 2% hrs. in oven at 212° F. steam oven. ioe 
iRers et: Per ct Per ct. 
1.58 1.41 I-35 
1.65 1.58 1.55 
ays 1.54 1.43 
1.76 173 70 
BYE 1.61 1.58 
1.84 1.79 1.75 
