1846. 



GENESEE FARMER. 



155 



whether in the domestic brewing of small beer, 

 raising bread, or in making ale or whiskey in 

 large establishments, fixed air, or carbonic acid 

 gas, is generated. 



To understand the transformation of alcohol in 

 eider, beer, whisky, or brandy, into vinegar, the 

 unlearned reader will note the following facts : 

 The composition of alcohol is 4 carbon, 6 hydro- 

 gen, and 2 oxygen. That of pure vinegar — an- 

 hydrous acetic acid — is 4 carbon, 3 hydrogen, 

 and 3 oxygen. Water is composed of an atom 

 of oxygen united with an atom of hydrogen, al- 

 thougli the atom of oxygen is 8 times heavier 

 than that of hydrogen. If 4 atoms of oxygen 

 (which exists in the atmosphere) combine with 1 

 of alcohol, the composition of the latter will stand 

 4 C, 6 IT., and 6 O.* Three atoms of the oxy- 

 gen thus derived from the air unite with 3 atoms 

 of the hydrogen in alcohol to form 3 atoms of 

 water, which leaves 4 carbon, 3 hydrogen, and 3 

 oxygen, or an atom of pure vinegar, diluted in 

 3 atoms of water. 



We omit to state the process of forming what 

 chemists term aldehijd, intermediate between al- 

 cohol and acetic acid, as unimportant to the prac- 

 tical farmer. Practically, it is seen that to con- 

 vert alcohol into vinegar, we have only to oxidize 

 the former. This is done by exposing alcohol to 

 the chemical action of the atmosphere, by spread- 

 ing it over an immense surface of thin coiled up 

 shavings for a short time. Warmth favors the 

 chemical change. But when the alcohol is con- 

 fined from the air in a tight.barrel, except with 

 an open bung hole, and perhaps the neck of aa- 

 inverted bottle in that, it may take tlu-ee or four 

 months to change it into vinegar. Every body 

 knows that a high heat is generated when alco- 

 hol is burnt in a spirit lamp. This is owing to 

 the formation of water by the chemical union of 

 oxygen in the air with the 6 parts of hydrogen 

 in 1 of alcohol. For the same reason heat is 

 evolved in the shavings in a cider barrel when 

 the alcohol in cider is transformed in acetic acid. 



* C stands for carbon, H. for hydrogen, and O. for oxygen. 



Patent Grain Cradle. — We have been 

 shown, and requested to notice, "Wood &l Love- 

 land's Patent Grain Cradle" — the right of which 

 is now owned by Messrs. Frisbee & Os.born, 

 of Rensselaerville, N. Y. The improvement or 

 patent consists in the substitution of hollow met- 

 al in place of wood fingers. The extremities 

 (about half) of the fingers of the cradle shown 

 us were made of hollow tin — the wood entering 

 the tin about halfway from the foot of the fingers. 

 The proprietors of the patent claim the follow- 

 ing advantages over the common cradle : that 

 the fingers are sti'onger, lighter, not liable to 

 warping, &c. where the grain is wet, and moi-e 

 easily mended. m. 



New potatoes have made their appearance in 

 Rochester. So have raspberries. 



"Profitable Farming." 



Under this head, we published in our March 

 number a communication giving tlie product and 

 profits of ten acres of land owned by Dea. Chas. 

 Tenny, of Riga. Another correspondent has 

 since furnished us with the following statement 

 of the produce of the same land for three years — 

 including that already given, and adding tiie two 

 previous years : 



The produce of 10 ncres, for tViroo successive years, by 

 Charles Tenny, of Riga, Monroe county : — 



40 bushels corn per acre, at 50 cents $200 00 



30 " wheat, " 7 shillings' . .... 2(52 51) 



2 tons hay, per acre, at $10 per ton, 200 00 



35 bushels clover seed, at $7, 245 00 



3 colts wintered on clover straw, 25 00 



$932 50 

 Expense : 



Interest of land, at $50 per acre, $105 00 



( "ost of Manure, 3 00 



Plowing for both crops, 20 00 



Seed, hoeing, <fcc. , 35 00 



1 larvesting crops, 60 00 



Cleaning clover seed, 23 00 



$246 00 



Nett gain, $086 50 



Or, per acre, $68 65 



D. S. 



Sun Flower Seed for Oil. 



Mr. Editor: — From a recent e.xperiment 

 made in extracting oil from Sun Flower Seed, 

 and from the quantity obtained from a bushel, I 

 am of the opinion that it may be a profitable 

 crop for the farmer to raise — for the more the 

 oil is used, the greater, we think, will be the de- 

 mand for it. We have used it for a few eve- 

 nings past, for burning in lamps, and have no 

 doubt l3ut it will be found a valuable article for 

 that use — as it gives a clear light, with very lit- 

 tle sediment, or crust, collecting on the tube of 

 the lamp. 



I noticed, in an article on this subject publish- 

 ed in the Genesee Farmer for July, 1844, that 

 the oil is found useful for fancy painting, and 

 for druggist's use, and that it will yield from 40 

 to .50 l)usFiels per acre, and sometimes much 

 more. But taking the smallest estimated yield 

 per acre, 40 bushels, and that at fifty cents a 

 bushel, (which I am inclined to believe it will 

 be worth, at least,) it will make to the farmer a 

 very fair profit on his land and labor. Will the 

 Editor, or some of his correspondents, give the 

 time of sowing and best manner of raising the 

 Sun Flower ? V/m. Morgan. 



Le Roy, 1846. 



The whole crop of apples, in one county of 

 Kentucky, is likely to be destroyed by a species 

 of worm, d liferent from any hitherto seen in that 

 I region. 



The farms of Belgium rarely exceed five 

 I acres ; and yet, by the excellence of their cul- 

 : ture, they support a family comfortably. 



