HONEY AS MEDICINE. 529 



vinegar, Messrs. Muth and Bingham, advise the use of only 

 one pound of honey with enough water to make each gallon 

 of vinegar. We prefer to use a little more honey, as it makes 

 stronger vinegar, but the weaker grade is more quickly made. 

 If the honey water was too sweet, the fermentation would be 

 much slower, and with difficulty change from the alcoholic, 

 which is the first stage, into the acetic. This change of fer- 

 mentation may be hurried by the addition of a little \'inegar, 

 or of w^hat is commonly called vinegar mother. 



If honey water, from cappings, is used, a good test of its 

 strength is to put an egg in it. The egg should float, coming 

 up to the surface at once. If it does not rise easily, there 

 is too little honey. As vinegar is made by the combined 

 action of air and warmth, the barrel in which it is contained 

 must be only partly filled, and should be kept as warm as 

 convenient. It is best to make a hole . in each head of the 

 barrel, about four or five inches below the upper stave, to 

 secure a current of air above the liquid. These, as well as the 

 bung hole, should be covered with veiy fine wire screen, or 

 with cloth, to stop insects. 



A very prompt method consists in allowing the liquid to 

 drip slowly from one barrel into another, as often as pos- 

 sible during warm weather. 



As we make vinegar not only for oui' own use, but also to 

 sell to our neighbors, we keep two barrels, one of vinegar 

 already made, the other fermenting. "When we draw a gal- 

 lon of vinegar, we replace it with a gallon fi-om the other 

 barrel. This keeps up the supply. 



Vinegar should not be kept in the same cellar with wines, 

 as its ferment would spoil the Avines sooner or later. 



Honey as Medicine. 



857. In Denmark and Hanover, the treatment of Chlor- 

 osis, by honey, is popular. The pale girls of the cities are sent 

 to the country, to take exercise and eat honey. The good 



