1860 A Treatise on the Manufacture , Imitation, Adulteration and Reduction of Foreign Wines, Brandies, .

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