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VINEGAR.
177
pleted in from eighteen to twenty-four months.
The progress of the fermentation must be
watched, and as soon as good vinegar is
formed, it should be racked into clean barrels,
otherwise the vinegar might be spoiled by
taking on the
putrefactive
fermentation.
The improved German, or quick metltod of
vinegar-making,
is, however, far superior to all
the old and slow methods formerly in use, and
is now being generally adopted. This process
greatly enlarges the surface of the liquid ex–
posed to the air, securing thereby the speedy
oxydation of the alcohol, or its conversion into
acetic acid.
"An oaken tub, somewhat narrower at the
bottom than the top, from six to seven feet
high and three feet in dia1neter, is furnished
with a well-fitted, grooved, but loose cover.
About half a foot from its mouth, the tub has a
strong oak or beech hoop fitted to its inside sur–
face, sufficiently firm to support a second cover,
also well fitted, but movable. The space under