238 ALCOHOL, VINEGAR, SAUER KRAUT, TOBACCO, SILAGE, FLAX 
Use of Pure Cultures in Vinegar-making.—The different 
types of vinegar-making organisms vary much, requiring quite 
different conditions of temperature for their best work. In the 
processes of manufacture hitherto used considerable losses have 
resulted from the fact that the acetic acid formed is destroyed by 
the further action of the bacteria. The fermentation is apt to 
be irregular and, even under the same conditions, does not al- 
ways produce equally desirable results. The reasons for the 
irregularities are to be found in the fact that, in different factories, 
sometimes even in the same factory at different times, many 
varieties of the vinegar organisms are found Moreover, several 
of these organisms are almost sure to be found together in any 
mass of natural “‘mother.”’ It is impossible to devise conditions 
that will be most favorable for all of the organisms, and hence, 
with a ‘‘mother’’ composed of many varieties, there is sure to be 
some loss. Theoretically, it would seem that vinegar-making 
could be improved by the use of pure cultures of these organisms. 
With a pure culture it would be possible to make the conditions 
such as to produce the best results with the variety in question, 
and thus prevent the losses that come from one variety destroying 
the product of another variety. The use of pure cultures has 
revolutionized brewing, has greatly improved the methods of 
butter-making, and is rapidly changing the process of cheese- 
making. Bacteriologists feel confident that the same principal 
can be applied to vinegar-making. 
Hitherto there has been but little application of pure cultures 
to vinegar-making. To obtain absolutely pure cultures is 
difficult, and to keep them pure from subsequent contamination 
is more difficult still. Vinegar-makers have not thought the 
advantages derived from such methods sufficient to pay for the 
labor and trouble of applying them. They have, to a con- 
siderable extent, adopted rougher methods of obtaining the vinegar 
organism in quantity and in a comparatively pure condition. 
A little white spirit vinegar is filtered through fine bolting cloth 
