The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1870-11-17
FARM AND HOUSEHOLD.


CIDER VINEGAR.-As the season for
its manufacture approaches q few re-
marks on the subject may not be amiss.
A large quantity of what is bought for
vinegar is made out of diluted acid, or
little mean whisl1ey and molasses, which
spurious article, though made largely at
the North, is incapable OF preserving
pickles and such like; many house
keeper has found it so to her sorrow, and
after some expense and much labor,
thrown away the subject of many anxious
cares. All which might be easily pre-
vented by being careful to purchase from
respectable dealers; or, better still, from
the producers, thereby saving to them
selves the merchants comm ssion, and
being much more certain to obtain it
pure.
Most articles on the subject give long
and minute directions, more calculated
to puzzle than to make plain.
Much has also been said about crab
apples alone being good for vinegar,
which is entirely without foundation, and
indeed it is much to be doubted whether
there is any preceptible difference; and,
taking into consideration the smaller
yield of the crab, it is far less profitable,
and therefore less able to compete with
the imitation.
Upon the skin of the apple depends, in
a great measure, the color Of the vinegar,
red one giving the darkest. Fifteen
bushels of apples is a good estimate fos
making forty-fve gallon cask, unlesr
the apples are very juicy. Summer cider
seems to succeed very well in making
vinegar. Before trying it, L had always
understood that none but what was made
in the fall would do so; that made in
August was good vinegar in March, while
that in the fall has not turned yet (June.)
Expressing the juice is q very simple
operation, which any one knows how to
do. So far, so easy. The trouble Of the
unlucky producer begins with putting it
in his casks. Many n one has vowed to
have nothing more to do with this
temper has been truly tried by seeing the
floor covered with his choicest cider,
which he had been estimating at so much
per gallon truly in this case "experience
is better" How, then, to prevent it from
leaking, is the question Of greatest in
terest. If put i'll common oak barrels
you may count on losing from this cause
from one-third to one-half with certain
ty. Some persons say that it is little
worm which bores through the wood /;
certainly the worm is in the cider, but
whether it does the damage is very
doubtful, at least in great many cases.
In oak, the cider will run along the
pores of the. wood and come out at the
end Of the slaves white pine heads are
| mn 7 l,,,x
mon oak stopper four or five inches long
into barrel in the fermenting state, he
will soon see how it comes out.
Walnut appears to be of too close a
grain to permit the cider to pass, and il
capable of being made into barrels would
probably hold without leaking. Casks,
if kept under ground or in damp place,
seem to leak more than if above, and in
a dry one. A person should have his
casks far enough apart to pass between
them and inspect them all every few
days. Cider will draw out salt or any
such thing which the wood has absorbed,
and therefore should not be put in such.
Farmers Gazette.
A CHEAP Ice HoUsE.-A farmer
correspondent OF the Cincinnati Gazette,
thus tells how he constructed an ice
house: 81 set posts in the ground, so as
to make a house twelve feet square,
three posts on each side,) then board OF
plank it up eight feet high, ON the in
side. The surface earth is now dug out
six inches deep, and sawdusttilled in one
foot deep, making it six inches above the
level of the earth. The ice is carefully
packed, nine feet square and six feet
high, leaving a space Of eighteen inche;
between ice and boards, closely packed
with sawdust, and ;he same thickness oi
sawdust placed un top. | have an old
fashioned board roof Jver this ice house
The space above the sawdust is left open
so that the air can circulate through
and the sun shine in. The result is that
we have used ice daily and have plenty
yet. AS to the cost, four men with one
team, cut, hauled and packed the ice
and filed in the sawdust in less than two
days, notwithstanding we had to hau
the ice one-half mile"
TOMATO FIGs.-The following receip
. for making tomato figs is said to be ex
excellent: Collect lot of ripe tomatoe
about one inch in diameter, skin, an(
stew them in the usual mi nner wheI
done lay them on dishes, fiatten then
slightly, and spread over them ligh
layer of pulverized white or best brown
sugar; expose them to summers sun
or place them in a drying house; wher
as dry as fresh figs, pack in old fig O.
small boxes, with sugar between eacl
layer. II properly managed the differ
ence cannot be detected from the ver1ta
able article.