RURAL NEW-YORKER 
443 
Simple Science 
By Dr. F. D. Crane 
Corn Beer 
“corn beer,’’ a Siini- 
M. n. M. 
Mow can I make 
iner drink? 
Xew York. 
Take any convenient keg or .jug and 
(ill it with a mixture of five gallons 
water, two (jiiarts molasses, one nnart of 
corn, crashed or ground. Figure yonr 
total amount so .as to nearly fill the con¬ 
tainer. keejiing the above proportions, and 
stir or shake well. It will ferment in a 
few days and the same lot of corn will do 
for two or three fillings of the molasses 
.and water mixture. But do not fool 
.voni’self that there will be no alcohol be¬ 
cause you jint in no yeast: the “wild 
.ve.a.sts’ on the corn are certain to attend 
to that matter. The nativa's of southern 
.\frica, where onr “Indian corn’’ has long 
been grown, make a re.al corn beer by 
allowing the corn to sprout for a few 
•lays, “mashing” it with other starches, 
starchy roots, etc., and allowing the whole 
mess to ferment. Travelers report that 
some of these native beers are not nn- 
I)leasaut in flavor. 
ed by nature t(j !)•■ list'd in th.at way. 
There is a device to run by a small 
motor and .set right in the refrigerator 
\\ hich is claimed to do the work, but it 
takes considerable current to run it. 
Those machines are said to use ethyi 
chloride as the circulating gas. and must 
be connected to a water system to cool it. 
Yonr finger test shows you that air uses 
comparatively little heat in expanding. 
Light from Small Motor 
Will a small motor, run . n dr.v cells 
and turning out a small dynamo, put 
enough electricity during the day into wet 
cells to give us three lights at night? 
Massachu.setts. a. c. s. 
No, you cannot lift yourself by your 
bootstraps, even by wa.v of a motor and 
generator and storage cells. In theory a 
small constant current of electricity run 
into storage batteries, which are often 
called accumulators, will permit the use 
of a larger current for a short time, this, 
for instance, is the principle of the elec¬ 
tive motor starters, where the current 
made from a small iiart of the energy of 
the running motor produces, in the “stor¬ 
age battery” an unstable chemical which, 
when called upon, will quickly give back 
enough energ.v to turn over the motor a 
few times. Rut in your case you begin 
with electrical energy, no need to bother 
with motor and generator, .iust hitch the 
dry cells on to the storage. This is pos¬ 
sible but extremely expensive, since dr,v 
cells are not adapted for constant service 
and are very inefficient when so used. 
Corn Syrup 
IIoW can I obtain wholesome, rich- 
flavored corn syrup? Will some sugar 
beets or mangels improve the flavor? 
What kind should they be? ^^Tll it 
thicken if broAvn sugar is used sparingly? 
How long should it be cooked? Would 
green corncobs, when in season, make a 
corn syrup? Is brown sugar produced 
from cane sugar? u k 
Oakland, N. .1. 
The stuff sold in cans as “corn syrup” 
is reall.v cornstarch .syrup, also known as 
glucose, and it is made b.v cooking the 
corn starch with weak acid, taking out 
the .acid, and boiling down the thin syrup 
till it thickens. It is a process beyond 
the reach of an amateur. The product is 
a good food, but nearly tasteless; the 
makers add .some cane sugar and various 
flavors to help it a bit. Whether boiling 
it with beets would help is more than we 
know, and what would happen if you 
boiled green sweet-corn cobs is also be¬ 
yond our limited knowledge, but we hap- 
VSSSHAVt FCUUEftS 
Vot> CAkJT 
sCe.e.r oiJ e. 
POV.U SToMA.C« 
- sror esTiM<i 
Chemistry of Vinegar-making 
I noticed that two of your correspond¬ 
ents, in the coui’se of last year, said a 
supply of vinegar could be kept up by 
adding water to take the place of that 
used, and allowing a reasonable time for 
the new vinegar to form. If this is so, 
what is the chemistry of changing water 
into vinegar? F. A. w. 
Newark, N. J. 
No such luck! Water is just plain 
TT-O-II, and vinegar calls for two 
joined carbon atoms as a starter, and the 
most convenient source of these is your 
old friend ethyl alcohol. We have not 
checked the items you seem rather indefi¬ 
nitely to recall, but there is something in 
the statement, and the reason is this: If 
you start with a high-grade cider, your 
vinegar plant will make so much acid 
tliat it con do no more, and there -will 
still be some uneaten ahiohol. If you 
draw off some and dilute the rest the 
plant will go ahead and use the rest of 
the alcohol. If you dilute with molasses 
water there will usually be enough yeast 
cells left to turn that into alcohol about 
as fast as the vinegar plant turns it into 
acetic acid, and this process will continue, 
but it will not make cider vinegar. 
Jleiiroduoed Ironi X. A'. Kvrning Telegram 
pen to know that boiling a little brown 
sugar into corn syrup gives, on cooling, 
a brittle caudj'. Brown sugar is the first 
product from the juice of the cane. The 
color is harmless, but folks prefer it 
)y makers keep re-crystallizing 
it till it is white. 
Frozen Arsenate of Lead 
Is ju-senate of lead paste less poisonous 
after freezing? A. G. w. 
No change in the poisonous propertv; 
the iiaste may be changed jibysically so 
it does not dilute so well. 
Kerosene in Concrete Cistern 
I have an unused concrete cistern; 
could I use it for a load of kerosene for 
the tractor? c. K. B. 
Bethel, I'a. 
It might hold, but the chances are 
against it, so much depends on the con¬ 
struction and (piality of the epnerete. Rut 
if it is entirel.v dry a lining of thin tin 
plate could be put in. and it would be a 
jierfect storage tank if the soldering was 
tight. 
Mending Aluminum 
What can be used to mend aluminum? 
T. J. L. 
There are several good aluminum sol¬ 
ders on the market, with fluxes to be used 
with them, but results deiiend largely on 
practice in using them; that is, upon 
knowing “.iu.st how,” which only comes 
by observation and practice. Had you 
done us the courte.s.v to give your Bill 
name and address we would have told 
.vou b.v mail the nearest point where yon 
could have got (he outfit, and then, after 
scuiie practice on ,a worthless piece you 
might perhaps have the skill to mend 
your kettle yourself. The better class of 
tin shops and some auto repair shops in 
tlie large cities usuall.v have one man 
vlio makes a speeialt.v of mending alumi¬ 
num parte, often by welding, which is 
tar be.voud the amateur and requires a 
.special outfit. 
Second-hand Water Glass 
Can water glass be used more than' 
once in preserving eggs? f. w. ! 
Williamsburg, Mich. | 
It will be risky, even if sterilized bvj 
boiling .as you .suggest, as the carbonic| 
acid in the air and the action on the shellsi 
both tend to weaken it. Adding a little 
fresh material would work, but the sili-' 
cate of .soda is so cheap Mess than a cent 
and a half a pound wholesale), that you 
can scarcely afford to take a chance. ‘ If 
.you and your neighbors order together 
you can get the right price from a whole¬ 
sale house, and the stuff, properly corkt'd, 
keeps for years. 
Compressed Air for Refrigeration 
I have compressed air in a tank under 
five to SIX atmospheres at all times. Is 
It practical to use its expansion to cool a 
lefrigerator instead of putting in ice’ 
by does it not freeze my fingers Avhen T 
ojien a pet cock? t 
S. Portland, Me. ’ ‘ 
I’ossible in theory, but unlikely to work 
in practice, as air is peculiarly unadapt- 
Making Vinegar Quickly 
I wish to turn .some cider into vinegar 
as soon as possible. How shall I do it’ 
A. .1.11. 
Met .some “mother of vinegar.” which is 
the plant which eats the alcohol in the 
liaid cider and turns it into acetic acid 
and can be found in any barrel of old 
vinegar, and put some of the “mother” 
in each barrel. If you want it still 
tContinued on page 444.) 
“For the Land’s Sake, use Bowker’s 
Fertilizers; they enrich the earth and 
those who till it.”—4 dr. 
Burpee’s Select Seed Potatoes 
POTATOES, while a very large item of food in America, have 
never been fully appreciated. Potatoes contain sugar, starch, 
alcohol, nitrogen and mineral matter, all of which go to make 
them a most necessary article of food. Germany is holding 
the world by reason of her potato crop, which is one of the 
main sources of supply both for her people and her animals. 
Green Mountain or State of Maine 
Burpee’s Annual for 1918 li.sts some thirteen varieties of early, mid-season 
and late potatoes. We have been most fortunate in securing a very select 
Stock of Oreen Mountain, which is probably the best known and most 
popular mid“Season to late potato, A,n excellent variety for storage. 
Last year many of our customers failed to get potatoes, by reason of late 
ordering. We advise everyone who contemplate planting potatoes to 
order at once to avoid disappointment. All varieties have been o-rown 
and stored under the most favorable conditions. " 
Seed Corn 
Seed Corn of all varieties is short crop and extremely scarce. We have a 
fair stock of all varieties that we catalog, but can particularly recommend 
our select strain of Cloud’s Yellow Dent, Improved Leamino- Reid’s 
Yellow Dent and White Cap Dent. 
CORN like the potatoes sliould be ordered at once to avoid disappointment. 
Write today for Burpee s Annual, The Leading American Seed Catalog. 
Just ask on a postal card for the Burpee Book No. 11. 
W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO. 
Seed Growers Philadelphia 
1 
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p 
DIBBLE’S 
SEED 
POTATOES 
FroinOlirFann 
^ toYoui's 
Saved from fields Free from Blio-ht 
stored in our own Frost-proof Ware¬ 
houses are the kind to plant to grow 
those bumper crops America neeSs to 
help win the war, 
20,000 bushels still instock 
Ohios. ^bblers. Rose. Manisfees, Bovees Oneen. 
Mountains, Gold Coins^ «ncle 
SFTS' *'^*'"’®**s* Raleighs and DIBBLE'S RUS¬ 
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Dlffi’S "» Sees Plant 
DIBBLE S Seed Potatoes and produce maximum crops 
Potatoes are cheap. Bay direct, save money.' 
Dibble’s Farm Seed Catalog and 
Special Price List FREE 
MWARD F. DIBBIE SEEDGROWER 
HONEOYE FALLS, N. Y. Box R 
^ . vS&V 
HEADQUARTERS Potatoes. 
Spring Wheat, 
Grass Seeds. 
Corn, 
Alfalfa, Clover and 
Aroostook County 
MAINE 
Seed Potatoes 
Selected stock in 165-lb., net weight sacks. 
$4.50 per bbl., cash with order. 
Bovee, Early Harvest, New Queen, 
Irish Cobblers, Uncle Sam, Gold 
Coin, Green Mountains. 
Order now: Tomorrow may be too late. 
E. MANCHESTER & SONS, Winsted, Conn. 
CEED POTATOES ANO OATS 
Tod’s wonder and Dibble Rnsset, excellent quality 
«r 1 . hardy and heaviest yielders; $1.50 per Im. 
prices on 10 bu. or more, quality Fruaranteed 
Ex^ahardy^, heavy yielding. Scottish Chief .Seed Oats, D .'iOperbu! 
geo. L. cooper, Lyndonville, ORLEANS COClNTY, N. vi 
POTA'I’OE.S. Engage seed now; W cash, lialance when 
r shipped. o2 varieties. A. BLOOMINGDALE, SchenacUdy. N. ». 
Pnf alnPO Clohbler, Giant, Green Mt., Hebron, tlhio, Six-weeks, 
I Uldiuca Rose, Queen. Others. C. IV. KOKl), Fishers, N. Y. 
Irish Cobbler Seed Potatoes h,tacks f! 
< liarle.s I.. Todd, Hartwick Seminary, M. V. 
O. T1 
CloverSeed 
Onr higli grades of Grass seeds are tlie most cure- 
™ and ret'leaued. Highest in Purity 
and Gerinmation. We Pay tlie freight. Catalog 
and tSainples Free it you ineiitioii this paper. 
CLICKS SEED FARMS, Smoketown. Lancaster Co., Pa. 
SEED CORN GOLDEN ORANGE 
COB, #4. GIANT ENSILAGETs3.50."'sSd^ 
TT VRuVir A ^ Sample for stamp. 
HARK\ VAIL. Warws'^. OR.VXGE Co., X. V. 
