146 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



will about all produce bees that would 

 show three bands, and pass for pure 

 stock, if they have only black drones to 

 mate with. 

 New Ipswich, N. H., July 16, 1892. 



How to Make Honey-Vinegar. 



CHAS. DADANT & SON. 



There are, in the formation of vine- 

 gar, two kinds of fermentation. The 

 first transforms into alcohol the sugar, 

 or saccharine matter of the fiquid used ; 

 the second changes into acetic acid the 

 alcohol produced. The germs that cause 

 alcoholic fermentation exist around ripe 

 fruits, and, to some extent, in honey, 

 and develop best at a temperature of 

 about 75° to 80°. 



The second fermentation, which de- 

 velops acetic acid, finds its germs in the 

 atmosphere, and many take place almost 

 immediately after the other has begun, 

 and long before the saccharine matter 

 has been transformed into alcohol, so 

 that the mixture may be sweet, alcoholic 

 and sour at the same time. It looks 

 rather contradictory to say that a liquid 

 is sweet and sour ; but that is often a 

 fact, nevertheless. The more prompt 

 and thorough the alcoholic fermenta- 

 tion, the more readily will the liquid be 

 transformed into vinegar when the 

 acetic fermentation begins. 



Honey does not contain the germs of 

 fermentation in sufficient quantity to 

 make a thorough alcoholic fermenta- 

 tion ; and when mixed with water and 

 left to itself, it will require several 

 months to convert the mixture into an 

 alcoholic beverage, and several months 

 more to change it to vinegar. 



If we are not in a hurry, we may suc- 

 ceed in making good vinegar by filling 

 a barrel half full of water, adding two 

 pounds of honey to the gallon of water, 

 and a few gallons of fermented or un- 

 f ermented cider, keeping it in a warm 

 place, and covering the bunghole with 

 wire-cloth, or with a piece of thin cloth, 

 which may keep out insects and dust. 

 By this method half a barrel of honey- 

 water may be changed into good vinegar 

 in two or six months, according to the 

 temperature. 



As we sell vinegar to our neighbors, 

 but do not care otherwise to keep it for 

 sale, we have been in the habit of keep- 

 ing two barrels for vinegar. One con- 

 tains the oldest vinegar, from which we 

 draw for use ; the other contains the 

 souring liquid. As we are growers of 



grapes, and make wine, we are in the 

 habit of fermenting a certain amount of 

 honey-water in our wine-cellar, and this 

 is used only when it has already under- 

 gone the alcoholic fermentation, and 

 sometimes with the addition of a little 

 wine, which gives it color, and adds to 

 the good taste of the vinegar. This 

 mixture is kept in the second barrel, 

 both barrels never being more than half 

 full ; and as fast as we take vinegar 

 from the first, we add to it an equal 

 quantity from the other. 



When honey-water has been made in 

 such a way as to make it impossible to 

 weigh the honey — for instance, by wash- 

 ing cappings or honey utensils, barrels, 

 cans, etc., we test its strength with a 

 fresh egg, which should float, just show- 

 ing itself at the surface. 



This method to induce a prompt and 

 thorough alcoholic fermentation in 

 honey-water is to mix it with a large 

 quantity, the more the better, of crushed 

 fruit, such as cherries, berries, grapes, 

 apple pomace, or even with the pomace 

 of grapes, commonly called " cheese," 

 just after the fermentation of the 

 grapes. The more fruits are used, the 

 more thorough the fermentation. 



The mixture should be kept at a high 

 temperature in vats or open barrels 

 covered only with muslin, or some light 

 cloth, and the vessels should be filled 

 only about two-thirds, so as to avoid 

 loss, as the mixture rises like bread dur- 

 ing fermentation. 



As soon as the turbulent fermentation 

 is over, the liquid should be drawn into 

 barrels. This is usually after a week or 

 so, if the temperature is right. The 

 barrels should not be filled more than 

 half full, as the liquid must be exposed 

 to the air as much as possible, in order 

 to hasten the acetic fermentation which 

 is fed from the atmosphere, as said be- 

 fore. The addition of a gallon or two 

 of strong vinegar will induce a more 

 prompt acetic fermentation. Good au- 

 thorities also recommend the use of 

 vinegar " mother " — a slick, slimy sub- 

 stance found in vinegar, and which is 

 said to be decomposed vinegar. This 

 vinegar mother is taken from an old 

 vinegar-barrel, washed clean, cut into 

 pieces, and these are added to barrels of 

 forming vinegar. 



After the vinegar has undergone the 

 main acetic fermentation, if it becomes 

 necessary to transport it, or put it into 

 closed barrels, it should be racked, or 

 drawn from its lees. If cloudy, it can 

 be made clear by putting in each barrel 

 the white of an egg, and stirring it with 



