222 ALCOHOL, VINEGAR, SAUER KRAUT, TOBACCO, SILAGE, FLAX. 



white wine which has been previously boiled, filtered and cooled. 

 This mixture is placed in shallow dishes and covered with glass 

 plates. The vinegar organism appears in a few hours as a thin scum 

 which ordinarily will be pure, or nearly so. If the scum does not 

 show any white spots (molds) it is gently lowered upon the surface 

 of the vat containing the alcoholic solution which is to be made 

 into vinegar. The result is a comparatively pure culture of vinegar 

 organisms, and a satisfactory fermentation. When used in making 

 vinegar from cider, this process gives a vinegar quite superior 

 to the ordinary type, having a finer flavor and better keeping 

 properties. 



The farmer who simply lays aside his few barrels of cider or 

 other alcoholic 'solution that it may be converted into vinegar 

 will not be troubled or especially interested in the matter of pure 

 cultures. A little loss is nothing to him, while the preparing and 

 preserving of pure cultures is an impossibility. He feels tolerably 

 confident that the cider which he sets aside for the purpose will 

 contain some of the acetic acid bacteria and that in course of time 

 he will obtain vinegar. Whether he gets the advantage of all the 

 alcohol or loses half of it does not matter much to him. Even 

 if several barrels should not produce a proper quality of vinegar, 

 it would not be of much importance. Sometimes he finds that his 

 vinegar is stronger than at other times, and sometimes he finds 

 that its taste is much inferior to the ordinary grade of vinegar. 

 Perhaps this raises in his mind a temporary question as to the 

 reason for the differences. But he never pursues the subject further. 



The Preservation of Vinegar. Vinegar is apt to deteriorate 

 by standing. It loses some of its acidity, falls off in flavor, and 

 may become muddy and slimy. All these various troubles are 

 caused by the continued growth of the microorganisms in the 

 vinegar. In such vinegar may be found various growing bacteria, 

 and very commonly, especially in cider vinegar, may be found 

 vinegar eels in abundance. These latter are little worms that get 

 into the vinegar from some source and find it a favorable locality 

 for growth and multiplication, They probably injure the quality 

 of the vinegar, although, so far as is known, they are harmless 



