314 



THE APPLE CULTURIST. 



Fig. 128. 



be understood, however, that we discard the hurtful acid 

 that is made of numerous other substances besides the juice 

 of apples, and sold as good vinegar. Cider-vinegar is made 

 by exciting a second, or acetous, fermentation in cider. 

 During this process, oxygen is absorbed from the atmos- 

 phere, carbonic acid is evolved, and the alcohol of the cider 

 passes into acetic acid. In order to have cider-vinegar of 

 the first quality, one must have good cider. The better the 

 cider is, the better the vinegar will be. If vinegar be made 

 of watered cider, it will be thin and weak, resembling wa- 

 tered cider. The accompanying illustration (Fig. 128) will 



give the reader 

 an excellent idea 

 of the process 

 of making good 

 vinegar. A kind 

 of cupboard is 

 made of inch 

 boards, about 

 three and a half 

 feet high by sev- 

 en feet long. In- 

 side of this box 

 fit shelves about 

 three and a half 

 inches apart. On the upper side of these shelves gouge out 

 channels running nearly from one end to the other, until the 

 upper side is covered with zigzag grooves running from end 

 to end. There should be cleats fastened to the under side of 

 each shelf, to prevent it from warping ; and the cleats should 

 be put on with screws. The channel must be made slightly 

 slanting, as in the illustration. The top shelf must slant so 

 as to be about two inches lower than the other side, and the 

 next shelf below it should slant about two inches in the 



Apparatus for making cider-vinegar. 



