17 



not even artificial silk. It is a textile product which has the promise 

 of a successful future and is therefore of interest not only to the 

 manufacturer and the consumer but to the farmer who produces the 

 cellulose. Imitation silk is in a measure the same substance as 

 smokeless powder, except that after it is made the nitrogenous 

 constituents are removed, so as to restore the finished product again 

 to the condition of ordinary cotton, devoid of explosive properties. 

 In the making of imitation silk a partial nitrification of the cotton is 

 accomplished in much the same manner as in making smokeless 

 powder. The partially nitrated cotton is then reduced to a paste by 

 solution in alcohol, ether, or other solvent, and in this condition is 

 forced thru small orifices, producing fine fibers of a silky luster. 

 After these are produced the oxid of nitrogen is removed from 

 them by a chemical process which does not interfere with their 

 lustrous appearance. These fibers are then spun and woven as 

 ordinary silk or cotton, producing fabrics which resemble in luster 

 the natural silk. The utilization of tax-free alcohol would be a 

 great stimulus to the advancement of industries of this class. 



ARTIFICIAL VINEGAR. 



Dilute alcohol, commonly known as low wines, can be utilized for 

 the manufacture of vinegar. For this purpose the dilute alcohol is 

 made to pass over the fresh shavings of beech wood. These beech 

 shavings furnish the organisms which oxidize the alcohol into acetic 

 acid, and after passing thru a series of vats containing these shavings 

 the alcohol is converted into a dilute solution of acetic acid. During 

 the process there is a considerable loss of alcohol by evaporation. It 

 is estimated that only about 70 per cent of alcohol is finally recovered 

 as vinegar. This material ought not to be called vinegar, as it is 

 acetic acid pure and simple. It is colored and treated so as to resemble 

 vinegar made from cider or wine or malt, and to this extent becomes 

 an adulteration. This industry may be mentioned as one that 

 would be promoted by the use of tax-free alcohol, altho it deserves 

 little if any encouragement. Section 59 of the Regulations concern- 

 ing denatured alcohol, however, especially names " manufacturers of 

 vinegar by the vaporizing process" among the classes of persons 

 who may not store denatured alcohol on their premises or make use 

 of it. 



FLAVORING EXTRACTS. 



The flavoring extracts of commerce are made largely with alcohol 

 as a solvent. This should be the purest possible alcohol, and since 

 it can not possibly be denatured and still remain potable and attrac- 

 tive, the law would probably not apply under conditions of this kind. 



