350 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



twenty years, so simple tliat all can have it, without money an 

 without price. 



" Fill nearly full any vessel, jug, crock, pan, tub, or barrel, 

 with pure rain or soft water, sweeten it with any kind of mo- 

 lasses, (the quantity is not material,) set it in a moderately warm 

 place, or in the sun, cover with sieve, gauze, or net, to keep out 

 flies and gnats. In due process of time it will be vinegar, when 

 it must be put into a suitable vessel and stopped close. To con- 

 vert cider into vinegar — if made from sweet apples, it is only 

 necessary to set the barrel in a warm place and knock out the 

 bung; if from sour, stir in a little molasses, and when sour 

 enough bung up tight. Vinegar barrels should be well painted, 

 as they are liable to be eaten by worms. 



" It will be propcsr to state that it is the action of the atmos- 

 phere, which in time converts the sweetened water into vinegar, 

 hence the greater the surface of water exposed to its influence 

 the sooner it will sour. There is a thick scum rises on the top 

 of the vinegar when making, wdnch is the ' mother,' and should 

 not be thrown away." 



PAPER FROM STRAW.. 



Prof. Mapes called the attention of the Club to a subject of 

 great importance, viz : the manufacture of paper from straw. It 

 is of interest to farmers to knov/ what improvements are making 

 in the process of converting straw into paper. The southern 

 states were formerly a great source of supply of rags, and that 

 being cut off has stimulated invention to find a substitute, and it 

 is likely to be entirely successful with straw. The difficulty 

 heretofore has been in bleaching. Now, by the use of soda, in a 

 closed cylinder, with steam, the straw pulp is rendered quite 

 white, and soft as that made from rags. This will "make a de- 

 mand for straw, and make grain-growing more profitable. It 

 will be much better for us to use home-grown straw for the many 

 millions of pounds of paper required, than it is to make it of im- 

 ported rags. 



FEEDING SiLK-WORMS. 



Rev. Mr. Weaver, of Fordham, inquired whether silk-worms 

 can be fed upon the leaves of the black mulberry. He said his 

 object was not to make silk to any extent, but to illustrate to 

 children the way that silk is produced. 



