The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-09-28

CIDER VINEGAR.
- Success Depends Upon the Use OF Good
Cider Made from Ripe Apples.

Cider Made from Ripe Apples.
Success In making good cider vine
gar depends upon sceing that the start.
ing point Is on a solid foundation, 1. e..
that the Juice Of the apple has a prop.
or supply Of sugar, the base OF good
vinegar. For some years | have lent
my cider press TO neighbors TO make
what they call cider, usually sending
a keg along, hoping to get enough
cider to keep up a supply for the
vinegar barrel. When the keg came
back, In some cases found II filed
with juice Of green, half rotten ap-
Piles, with specific gravity little IL
any above water, indicating an almost
entire absence Of sugar. Such stuff
will never make even q weak vinegar.
but rapidly pass to the eremacuasis
fermentation, complete destruction
of the sugar with no trace OF acetlc
acid, the base OF vinegar; and this de-
strvctlon will soon take place with
little or no formation OF alcohol result
ing from the vinuous fermentation of
the sugar, which does not exist in
green, unripe and partly rotten apples,
as are often used.
There Is no trouble In securing good
cider vinegar, IL the apples have sufli-
ciently ripened and remained sound
and the starch has passed to grape
sugar by the chemical action of the
acid (malic) Of the fruit, which will
pass from the press dissolved in tho
water. Such juice one of my neigh
bors always returns me with the press
and IL gives me, besides the vinegar,
nice drink Of apple Juice or cider,
most healthy drink before the alco-
hol comes. Usually the pure juice in.
dicates a specific gravity Qrom the
sugar. of about 1,030, or five degrees
Of the ordinary Baume hydrometer.
and when this Is the case, good cider
vinegar will follow in due time. On
several occasions, the cider alluded to
having a nice flavor Of the apple with
specific gravity of 1910. or six to
seven Baume, l have added a pound
Of sugar TO the gallon of cider, and the
following summer had pleasant wine
for the pudding sauce, and frequently
my visiting friends have asked to what
was the pleasant taste due. The ad
dition of the sugar generates enough
alcohol to prevent the acetous fermen-
tation; hence instead of vinegar you
have apple wine, which is very nice
substitute for something far more ex-
ItuSiNts Vllth IAliNbuiN W.
alcohol and some artificial flavor, I'M
ported as French and Spanish sherry.
In conclusion I will say TO the read
er: To be sure OF having good vine
gar, be certain you have a juice with
enough sugar in IL to form enough
alcohol to be converted into acet.c
acid. and If there is enough of the lat
ter. which IS an antiseptc, the erema-
causis or rotting process will not take
place, and your vinegar will keep for
years. The formation of alcohol will
go on in q full barrel, but TO secure
the oxidation of the alcohol the barrel
should not be more than three-Quar-
ters full, and kept in a moderately
warm place, so the alcoholic vapOr fills
the barrel, and this vapor will first
pass to aldehyde and then quickly to
acetic acid, the base of good vinegar.
This chemical change explains the
cause of the sour ensilage have never
failed to find on top of the silo, which
starts from the conversion of the car
bohydrates of the corn first into alco-
hol, then acetic acid, neither of which
is carbohydrate.-A. p. Sharp in
Country Gentleman