AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



511 



soft water, 1 pint of yeast. Mix well, 

 and let it ferment in an open vessel, 

 covered with cheese cloth. After it has 

 fermented for about a week, make a 

 mixture of 6 ounces of alcohol, 6 ounces 

 of chemically pure acetic acid, one-half 

 ounce of tincture of cardamom, in 2 

 gallons of soft water, and add it to the 

 vinegar that is in a state of fermenta- 

 tion. The tincture is to go into the 

 alcohol before the water is added. If 

 the vinegar is kept in a dry, warm place 

 it will be fit for use in about a month. 



Only enough cardamom is required to 

 give it the slightest taste, without re- 

 vealing its character. The crude, com- 

 mercial acetic acid will spoil the prepara- 

 tion, and will not be healthy, whereas 

 the pure acetic acid is not only very 

 pleasant to the taste, but makes a 

 healthy vinegar. 



This vinegar has been pronounced 

 superior to any of the expensive foreign 

 vinegars introduced in this city. 



In making honey vinegar, I used the 

 extracted-honey less than the washings 

 of the cappings, honey vessels, etc. But 

 whatever kind of honey you use, let it 

 be free from all impurities. Do not de- 

 pend on the process of fermentation for 

 purification. 



In using the washings, there is only 

 one way to determine when the honey 

 solution is strong enough for making 

 vinegar, and that is to ascej'tain its 

 specific gravity. First, take the specific 

 gravity of the standard solution given 

 above — that is, 15 pounds to 8 gallons — 

 and mark the meter at that point. 

 Afterwards, you regulate your washings 

 until you have reached the standard 

 mark. It must be remembered when 

 the solution of honey (alone) is too 

 strong, honey itself being a powerful 

 antiseptic, it will not assume an acetic 

 fermentation, but only the vinous. 



In making honey vinegar, I have a 

 secret worth keeping ; and that is, if 

 you once have good vinegar in a barrel, 

 it will take the washings for a long time, 

 leaving always good vinegar to draw 

 from — that is, for fa^nily use. 



Since I make honey vinegar only for 

 my own family use, I resort only to the 

 washings, and throw the fluid into an 

 open vessel. In place of acetic acid and 

 yeast, I effected the primary fermenta- 

 tion by dropping into the solution a part 

 of a Mexican vinegar plant, that was 

 sent to me for experimental purposes. 

 Afterwards, I added the alcohol and 

 cardamom as before. It made a very 

 strong, superior vinegar, and I have 

 Ivcpt up the supply for over a year by 

 adding washings, as they happened to 



be on hand. The only objection the- 

 family had to it, was that it was too' 

 strong, and contained too much acetic- 

 acid. The fact is, there was not a drop 

 of acetic acid put into it, and simply by 

 adding water we find all objections 

 removed. 



I know nothing of the botanical name 

 and nature of this Mexican vinegar 

 plant. I was told that in Mexico and 

 Southern Texas it was very much used 

 for making vinegar. 



Austin, Texas. 



MmWwi Roiim of Weal Colonies. 



T. C. KELLY. 



Having read an article from the pen 

 of our esteemed fellow bee-keeper, G. M. 

 Doolittle, in the American Rinril Home, 

 on the prevention of robbing by bees in 

 the Spring, I will give my method : 



When I find a colony that is being 

 robbed, I close the hive for a few min- 

 utes, until a number of bees collect at 

 the entrance, and in the meantime get a 

 handful of flour, then open the entrance 

 (by this time the robbers are loaded with 

 honey), and the little rascals will make 

 a rush for home. As they come out, give- 

 them a good dusting with flour, until 

 they look like " millers," then keep your 

 eye over the apiary till you see the 

 white-coated chaps entering their hive,, 

 then close the hive that is being robbed 

 again, and let it stand 10 or 15 minutes. 

 By that time the most of those engaged 

 in the business will be gathered around 

 the entrance trying to get in. 



Take the hive that the robbers came 

 from, carry it to the stand occupied by 

 the weak colony, remove the weaker 

 one from the stand, turn the hive 

 around, brush all the bees off of it, and 

 set the hive containing the strong colony 

 on the stand. Pick up the hive contain- 

 ing the weak colony and carry it to 

 where the strong one was, making it 

 look as much like the other one as pos- 

 sible ; return to the strong one and 

 change its appearance by placing a 

 piece of clored cloth in front. 



You can then sit down in the shade 

 and watch the proceedings with pleas- 

 ure and amusement — and it is amusing 

 to witness the humble supplication of 

 the little fellows on their return to the 

 old stand, and the humiliating attitude 

 which they assume, standing on their 

 fore legs, with the business portion of 

 their anatomy elevated in the air, and 

 l^leading for admission and recognitiov: 



