(;leanin(;s in ree culture 



327 



HONEY VINEGAR. 



WHY IT "KATS" IMCKI.KS; HOW TO MAKB GOOD 

 HONKY VINKGAK; WHY IT CAN'T COMPETE 

 WITH THE VINEGAK OF COM.MEHCE; A VAL- 

 UAULK ARTICLE. 



By K. Jrhitcomh. 



On page 234 Mr. C. Davenport complains that 

 honey vinegar oats or softens pickles. This is 

 not necessarily the fault of the material of 

 which the vinegar is made, but because the 

 vinegar is too strong. Vinegar made from any 

 other material, and of double strength, will 

 soften or eat pickles; and we think if Bro. 

 Davenport will reduce his vinegar with water 

 nearly a half, or to about forty-grain strength, 

 he will not complain of its eating or softening 

 pickles. One pound of honey ought to be sufiB- 

 cient to make one gallon of good vinegar. 

 However, its strength is entirely regulated by 

 the amount of material used; and it can be 

 made of triple strength, or about ninety grains. 

 Where an inferior or low-grade honey is used, 

 the fluid, before it is finished, should be run 

 about twice through a generator, during which 

 process it should pass through bone charcoal. 



I have been unable to notice any material 

 difference in the strength or flavor of vinegar 

 where the generator process is used. Of course, 

 dark honey will make a darker-colored vinegar, 

 while the lighter honey will make an article 

 almost as clear as water. 



A honey-dealer in Ontario wrote me, after 

 the Lincoln convention last fall, inquiring why 

 we did not manufacture honey vinegar, and 

 thus create a market for low-grade honey. 

 The vinegar of commerce doesn't cost, for the 

 material there is in it, to exceed one cent per 

 gallon, either made from corn or any of the 

 cheap syrups, and sold on the market as pure 

 cider vinegar; and it can be made pure with- 

 out any acids or adulterations at the a'^ove 

 price, barring the labor of making it; or, in 

 other words, the barrel costs more money than 

 the vinegar which it contains. 



There is no article of universal use in the 

 household, upon which the general public have 

 so little information as vinegar. The whole 

 secret of vinegar-making quickly hinges upon 

 how much you can expose the fluid to the air 

 at a temperature of seventy or more degrees of 

 heat; and good vinegar may be made from 

 cider, honey, or syrup, within the space of 24 

 hours; and the reason that we can not make 

 vinegar out of honey, and thus create a market 

 for the low grades of honey, is because no one 

 will sell his honey at less than one cent per 

 pound. If he did, honey vinegar would go into 

 competition with corn and syrup vinegars. 



This is not material with the man or woman 

 who has a few pounds of inferior honey which 

 they desire to convert into vinegar. We would 

 use one pound of honey to a gallon of soft 



water, setting in an open barrel, and covering 

 with thin cloth to keep out Insects and dirt; 

 and after the barrel is filled we would add a 

 gallon of good yeast to every barrel, stirring up 

 occasionally for the first three weeks, when the 

 result will be very good vinegar. When suffi- 

 ciently strong, draw olT with a siphon, such as 

 can be drawn without sediment, and make the 

 second barrel in what is left in the barrel, and 

 you will find that the second lot will make 

 much quicker than the first. 



Of course, the strength of the vinegar will be 

 gauged entirely by the amount of honey used. 

 Vinegar is an industrious fellow; but when he 

 has used up all the materials you have given 

 him to work on he will stop; nor will he stop 

 until he has accomplished this. 



Of course, it must be borne in mind that a 

 temperature of above 70° must be kept up, 

 either by the sun's heat or oy artificial means, 

 during the process of making. 



Friend, Neb. 



HOW I SOLD HONEY. 



SOME OF THE DISAGREEABLE FEATURES OF 

 THE BUSINE.SS. 



By Alice Harding Crossman. 



While I was very busily engaged preparing 

 dinner I heard a loud knock. I opened the 

 door, and found a tall gaunt old man, apparent- 

 ly a gentleman: 



" Have you honey to sell ? " 



"Yes, sir." 



"What kind?" 



He waited at the door while I brought a sam- 

 ple. Then he gave me a lengthy description of 

 his physical condition. He had nervous dys- 

 pepsia. Did I think honey would hurt him? I 

 told him it would do him good. I could smell 

 something burning. I darted into the kitchen, 

 and found the potatoes burning. When I re- 

 turned, the man had decided he would take 

 half a pound if I could let him have a can to 

 put it in. He hastily explained that he would 

 find if it agreed with him. I found a baking- 

 powder can. Guess I had better get a supply 

 of old cans if my business keeps like this. 

 Dear me! a whole nickel's worth! I knew this 

 old man was very rich. Five cents wouldn't 

 pay for the time I had lost and those potatoes! 

 It will be better soon, I thought, as I set the 

 table. Shortly after dinner I opened the door 

 to see a gentleman, really and truly a gentle- 

 man. He stood with hat in hand. "This is 

 Mr. 's place, I believe ? " 



"Yes. sir." 



" I wish to get Sl.OO worth of honey." 



" Do you wish to see it ? " 



"No, I know the honey. Can Mr. deliver 



it?" 



" Yes, sir." 



