River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-10-28


or no demand. Well-informed fruit
dealers are almost unanimous on this
point; that it seldom pays to keep pears
back longer than few weeks at fur
thest and that growers should sell
before the demand falls off. These
facts are given for the consideration of
those who contemplate the erection of
frmt retention houses. Whatever
proht may be found in keeping other
fruits back a couple of months later
thah their time of ripening, experience
has shown that pears should not be
held longer than two or three weeks.
Vinegar Making.
VIII give my experience in making
cider vinegar for market, extending
over period of twenty years. We
have stored cider in o building set
apart Tor the purpose without any cell
lar. 1t has frozen more or less &C cord
ing TO the severity of the season. The
process would be more rapid if this
were not the case, but this Is the only
harm, in my Judgment, done 10y freez
ing. Few cellars will make vinegar
many fail in attempting it. The most
common cause of failure is in allowing
too little time. There are various
ways OF hurrying the process-some
are OF value; others worthless and
positively hurtful. Unless we have a
short stock on hand, aud the market
calls faster than we can supply,
we have abandoned them all When
the time can be had better article can
be made without the aid of any of
them. Good vinegar can seldom be
made short of two years-three are
better-have made a fair article in one
year. Age is necessary to make it of
first quality, possessing the color, ripe
ness and richness which belongs only
to the best vinegar. Mere sour com
pounds are no more vinegar than is all
gold that glitters. 1t should have n
pleasant taste, feel warm TO the lips,
and appear stronger as it is held to
the mouth-much that is sold in the
market being the reverse, having a
harsh sour taste at first, with little
strength afterward, and upon being
exposed to the air for a day or two be-
coming fiat and insipid, which will not
happen when properly made.
Good casks are needed. Fresh liq-
uor casks are the best. Those used
for linseed oil are good, if cleaned
enough to prevent a film of oil rising
on the surface, which will keep the air
from coming in contact, preventing It's
turning, and impart an oily taste to
-
manner in which these casks are made,
they are more durable and less liable
TO leakage than other kinds. They
should be filled not more than three
fourths full, for two reasons: one,
that If more than this is put in, when
frozen they will run over and the best
portion be lost the other, a larger
surface will be exposed to the air,
which is the most important agent in
turning cider into vinegar. Even if
carefully selected, some casks will not
make vinegar from something about
the cask or its previous contents, it is
impossible. Such casks will do tC
store cider, in years of plenty, uuti
wanted. Failures result from this. i
disagreeable taste is impaired from
any cause, rendering the vinegar unfit
for family use, it may be sold for me
chanical purposes.
A warm situation is the most favor.
able; loft near the roof being as good
a place as any. We put on glass
roof few years ago, which has proved
very satisfactory. With cider thus
treated, allowed to stand two, or bet
ter, three years, we have never had any
difficulty in making tirst-rate article,
which does not spoil in the purchasers
hands. We have made our pickles for
years by simply putting cueumbers as
taken from the vines into a vessel
filed with vinegar without any other
preparation-have never failed in hav-
ing the best of pickles. Have known
people to use three different vinegars
with the most careful preparation, and
have them spoil for all that.
Cider, exposed under favorable cir.
stances, will undergo three different
lamentations First the vinous,
which fits it for use as beverage.
Second, the acetic, which makes vine
gar much 1.-THE so-called vinegar fails
in this respect, being sold before the
second fermentation has taken place,
or before it is fully accomplished.
When il is fully completed good vine
gar is the result In this state il will
contain myriads of animalcules, which
are the life of the vinegar. The third
is the putrid fermentation. 1t will be-
come flat like water, emitting most
offensive edor, with muddy sediment
in the bottom. Many persons have
had cask of fine vinegar, and upon
leaving il for a couple of months, have
been much disappointed to find II
worthless, with no more strength than
water. The cause of this is, that the
vinegar remains good so long as there
is life sustaining food for the little
animals; when they die from want OF
food the vinegar is ruined. This may
be prevented by putting in small
quantity of cider from time TO time; in
this way it may be kept for an indefi.
mite period.
Farmers Homes.
II is too often the practice Of farmers
90 think too much Of the farm and