272 RURAL ^'EW YORK 



is strikingly illustrated in the slaughtering and meat- 

 packing industry. In early times, meat was almost 

 exclusively prepared and preserved on the farm, and 

 the social " bee " was a common adjunct. Now the 

 business is mainly concentrated in a few large pack- 

 ing centers, such as Chicago, Kansas City and 

 Buffalo. Butter, instead of being made on the farm, 

 is now largely manufactured in creameries or butter 

 factories that handle milk by the thousands instead 

 of by the tens of pounds. 



As a result of these changes, it is not possible to 

 draw a sharp line of distinction between urban and 

 rural manufactures. The distinction is one of size 

 rather than character. Some industries are still in 

 the transitional stage and have both a distinctly rural 

 and an urban aspect. Vinegar-making is one of 

 these. It is still made on the farm from cider ex- 

 tracted at the local custom mill, but it is also manu- 

 factured in city factories far from the rounds of the 

 farm. Even in New York City vinegar is made, 

 whether from apples does not appear. Indeed most 

 forms of manufacture began on the farm and cer- 

 tainly in close contact with tlie home, and grew be- 

 yond its limits with the changed facilities of new 

 times. 



The history of these manufactures is a fascinating 

 chapter in human development and there is strong 

 temptation to trace some of the features of it. The 

 history is not peculiar to New York, however, and 

 space will not allow the digression. The reader will 

 know in a general way what the changes are like. 



