52 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Feb, 
vinous fermentation, the presence of air is essential 
through the whole process of making vinegar. But it 
must not be largely admitted, lest it carry off certain 
volatile parts essential to success. The mucilage and 
other organic matters, after decomposition is effected, 
settle to the bottom, in a gelatinous mass, termed 
mothers. 
Practice. —In England, for domestic purposes, vine¬ 
gar is prepared on a large scale, from a mixture of bar¬ 
ley or malt with water, by keeping the wash exposed in 
open vessels to the air, in rooms heated to a particular 
temperature. The fermentation is promoted by the ad¬ 
dition of a small portion of acetic acid. 
An excellent mode also consists in exposing to the 
air, one part of brown sugar by weight, with seven parts 
of water, and a small quantity of yeast, in a cask whose 
bung-hole is covered by gauze to exclude insects, for 
some weeks to the action of the sun’s rays. Fermenta¬ 
tion is promoted and the quality improved by the ad¬ 
dition of grape leaves. 
An acquaintance made excellent vinegar for home use, 
as follows:—A gallon of molasses and a barrel of cider 
were mixed, and warmed in a large kettle, after which 
the mixture was put in a barrel, with a few sheets of 
brown paper, and kept in a warm place with the bung 
open, through which a stick was inserted for stirring 
it, to break the scum and admit the air. The vinegar 
was drawn as needed, and the deficiency supplied by 
occasional additions of cider, which is in turn converted 
into vinegar. 
All these' modes require several weeks at least. A 
great improvement in this respect has been made, on 
purely scientific principles, by which good vinegar 
may be made in twenty-four to thirty-six hours. A 
barrel is filled, except a vacant part at the bottom, with 
wood shavings. The top is closed by a pan, which fits 
into it, the bottom of wdiieh is preforated by a number 
of small holes, and through these short threads are 
passed, to bring down the liquid more rapidly. The 
shavings, before using, are well steeped in vinegar, 
which of itself strongly induces fermentation. Near 
the bottom of the barrel, its sides are perforated by a 
number of holes half an inch in diameter, for the 
admission of air, which passes up through the shavings, 
and escapes through several tubes, passing up through 
the pan and through the liquid in it. An alcoholic 
liquor, mixed with about a thousandth part of yeast or 
honey, is then poured into the pan, and it trickles down 
the orifices by the threads, spreads over the shavings, 
and thus has its surface very largely exposed to the air. 
Before pouring into the pan, it is heated to about 75 
degrees, the rapid absorption of oxygen among the 
shavings soon raises the temperature to 100 degrees; 
the heat causes a current upwards by the holes in the 
barrel, through the shavings, and by the tubes in the 
pan, by which the supply of oxygen is kept up. The 
liquid passes down, and escapes through a pipe at 
the bottom. The operation is repeated, and after 
passing through in this manner three or four times, 
the liquid is converted into excellent vinegar; the 
whole time not exceeding twenty-four to thirty-six 
hours. 
POTATO CULTURE. 
William R. Latta, of Virginia, informs us that 
he has tried the plan of cutting potatoes in the middle 
and planting the two ends separately. The result has 
been that the sprout or “ point” end has produced most, 
but the “stem” end has given potatoes of the best size, 
and far superior to those of the “ point” end for table use. 
Mr. L. also states that he has tried the plan of thinning 
the tops of potatoes. His practice had been to plant the 
largest potatoes without cutting, but noticing that they 
produced a large proportion of stalks or tops, he took a 
part of a field of potatoes and thinned alternate rows. 
The number of stalks to the hill was from ten to 
twelve, and they were thinned to four and five. The 
effect was to lessen the yield in the rows that were 
thinned, but the potatoes were of better size and qua¬ 
lity. 
WINTER FOOD FOR DOMESTIC ANIMALS. 
In most parts of the northern states, a very large por¬ 
tion of the year requires the feeding of dried or stored 
food to domestic animals. Usually one half of the last 
month of autumn, the three winter months, and at 
least two of the spring months, must be passed without 
the aid of pasture, throughout the more northern re¬ 
gions of our country, amounting to almost half of the 
entire year. It hence becomes one of the most impor¬ 
tant of all qestions in farming,—what are the cheapest 
and best kinds of food for the subsistence of domestic 
animals through this long and costly period? 
The article which stands at the head of the list, as be¬ 
ing the most largely used as well as the most important 
every way, is meadow-hay. But auxiliaries are needed; 
not only because the hay crop is often greatly diminished 
by drouth, but even when abundant, a mixture of other 
substances contributes to the health, comfort, and thrift 
of the animal. Greater cheapness, too, is attained by a 
portion of other kinds of food. An examination and 
comparison of these, hence become a matter of conside¬ 
rable importance. 
In addition to hay, may be mentioned,—as among 
those substances which are either in common use, or 
should be,—carrots, ruta-bagas, straw, beets, potatoes 
and grain. The propriety of the use of these may be 
judged with tolerable correctness, by taking their re¬ 
spective nutritive values, together with their cost in 
raising, and comparing them thus with hay. In the 
following table we have taken a few of the more com¬ 
monly cultivated roots, and deduced their nutritive 
value from the actual experiments of a considerable 
number oG distinguished agriculturists, the mean or 
average of the results they arrived at being taken. The 
figures indicate the number of pounds of each, needed 
to be equal to 100 lbs. of hay. 
Carrots,. 276 
Ruta-bagas,... 300 
Mangold-wurzel,. 317 
Potatoes,.201 
Common turneps,. 494 
It will be perceived that potatoes are the most nutri¬ 
tive, carrots next, then ruta-bagas and mangold-wurzels 
are nearly equal, while common turneps are far behind 
all the rest. Then as to the expense of raising. The 
same degree of fertility in soil will give about 250 bushels 
of potatoes, 500 of carrots, 600 of ruta-bagas, and 700 of 
mangold-wurzels. This is mere estimate, but is probably 
not far from the truth. The cost of seed and planting is 
greater for the potato than the other crops, but the after 
culture rather less; on the whole, the expense of raising 
an acre of each will be nearly equal. The cheapness of 
seed and ease of sowing are in favor of ruta-bagas, but 
on cloddy soils this advantage is more than balanced by 
danger from the turnep-fly. It is understood as a mat¬ 
ter of course that in these estimates, the best culture is 
to be given,—that is, all the roots but the potatoes are 
sown in drills, from two to two and a half feet apart, 
not more,—that they are hoed as soon as they are up 
or before two inches high, which not only greatly re¬ 
duces the labor, but allows an early and vig-orous 
growth; and that clean, well tilled, and fertile land is 
selected for them, and not rich waste land loaded with 
the seeds of millions of weeds, which without the cost 
of much labor, get the ascendancy, and choke down the 
young crop. 
Taking all these circumstances into account, it will 
be perceived that carrots, ruta-bagas, and mangold-wur¬ 
zels stand nearly on equal grounds as to merits. But 
the far greater avidity with which horses will eat car¬ 
rots, the excellent butter which results from their use 
when fed to cows, and the little injury they receive 
from frost, even when the crop or a part of it is left to 
winter in the ground where it grew, give this crop 
most eminently the preference. 
Now for the cheapness of roots as compared with 
hay. A ton of hay, according to the experiments al¬ 
ready mentioned, is equal to 5500 pounds of carrots, 
which at 60 pounds to the bushel would be 91 bushels 
