AUTOMATIC VINEGAR APPARATUS. 87 



The disadvantages connected with this system having already been 

 explained need not be further referred to. 



Periodically working Apparatus. The Three-group System. 



In the second system of automatic generators it has been 

 sought to imitate the ordinary working of a vinegar factory by 

 providing the apparatus with certain mechanical appliances which 

 allow of the distribution at certain stated intervals of any desired 

 quantity of alcoholic liquid into the generators. The term 

 "periodical" may be applied to this system of automatic appa- 

 ratus. 



The mechanical appliances used for the purpose of admitting 

 at certain intervals a fixed quantity of alcoholic fluid into the 

 generator may be constructed in various ways, the tilting trough, 

 shown in Figs. 12 and 13, p. 62, being an example. By a modi- 

 fication, of the apparatus, as shown in Fig. 26, any desired quan- 

 tity of fluid can with its assistance be at certain intervals admitted 

 to the generator. The fluid may be either poured out upon the 

 false bottom, or, what is more suitable for its better distribution, 

 used for feeding a sparger. 



As seen from the illustration a prismatic box, whose bottom is 

 formed of two slightly inclined surfaces, stands at a suitable 

 height over each generator. In the box a tilting trough is placed 

 so that its axis of revolution runs parallel with the line formed 

 by the two bottom surfaces of the box. On the point of contact 

 of the two surfaces a pipe is inserted which extends to the false 

 bottom or the funnel of the sparger. Above the box is a spigot 

 connected by a conduit with a reservoir for the alcoholic fluid 

 placed at a higher level. This reservoir serves for supplying a 

 large number of generators, and can be shut off by a carefully 

 adjusted spigot. From the latter a vertical pipe leads to the 

 conduit running in a horizontal direction over the generators. 

 The conduit is provided with small spigots which discharge the 

 fluid into the tilting troughs. 



By giving each tilting trough such a size that, for instance, 

 each partition holds 5 quarts, and adjusting the spigot so that 30 

 minutes are required for filling one partition, the trough will, at 



