218 THE PRACTICAL BEE GUIDE. 



ripened, and throughout the whole process the utmost cleanli- 

 ness must be secured, not only in the ingredients, but also in 

 every vessel employed. Use 4 lbs. honey to each gallon of 

 water, and allow the honey to dissolve, then put it into a 

 copper, or large boiler, add i oz. hops and J. oz. ginger per 

 gallon, and boil it for one hour, skimming off the scum as it 

 rises. When sufficiently boiled, pour it into a wooden vessel, 

 and when its temperature has reduced to 120° add i oz. of 

 brewer's yeast per gallon, mix this well with the liquor, which 

 must then be covered and allowed to stand in the vessel for 

 about eight hours. Next it must be poured into a perfectly 

 clean barrel, and as the contents ferment, the barrel must be 

 filled up with more of the liquor, an extra half-gallon having 

 been prepared for the purpose beyond what tlie barrel is con- 

 structed to hold. When fermentation has ceased, dissolve J oz. 

 of isinglass in a cupful of water, pour it into the barrel, and 

 stir well; this is to clear the liquid. After about six days draw 

 off the liquor into a second perfectly clean barrel, filling the 

 barrel completely, and drive in the bung as tiglitly as possible. 

 It must stand for at least six months, after which it may be 

 bottled. The bottles must, of course, be perfectly clean, the 

 corks should be new, and they should be fastened with wire, 

 and covered with tinfoil, a neat label being pasted on the 

 side of each bottle. 



406. Vinegar for Exhibition. — For the production of a 

 superior exhibit of vinegar, all that is necessary is to use the 

 right ingredients, to study cleanliness in all the processes, and 

 to regulate the temperature with a certain degree of accuracy. 

 Take i lb. of good extracted honey, add it to 7 lbs. of fresh 

 clean water in a wooden vessel (or i lb. of honey to 5^ pints 

 of water), and stir the mixture thoroughly. Cover the vessel 

 with two thicknesses of fine muslin, and keep it at a temipera- 

 ture of about 80° Fahr. It may be exposed to the sunshine 

 in summer, being brought into a warm kitchen for the night. 

 After about six weeks, if the vinegar proves right to the taste, 

 strain it into another wooden vessel, stir in J ©z. of isinglass 

 dissolved in a few ounces of water, and allow it to stand for 

 a fortnight ; then bottle it in clear glass bottles, using new 

 corks, which may be covered with tinfoil ; put on an attractive 

 label. 



407. Judging Bee Products. — No one who accepts appoint- 

 ment as a judge of Bee Products hopes to please and satisfy 

 all the exhibitors ; but if he desires to do absolute justice, 

 and to carry out his mission creditably, he will be wise to 

 adopt a fixed scale of marks for the various points, and to 

 rigidly adhere to those marks. By no other method can judg- 



