In spite of the fact that thousands of gallons of white wine vinegar, which has never been near a wine press, are produced yearly by a purely chemical process from alcohol, there is still a market for good, old-fashioned, apple cider vinegar. The genuine article will never be entirely replaced by the artificial product. But where is the public to obtain pure apple vinegar of acceptable quality? It is not for sale at the local groceries except in sealed bottles at twenty-five cents a quart. Beside it on the shelf may be found the distilled vinegar, artificially colored with caramel, and the white pickling vinegar at fifteen cents a bottle. In bulk the distilled vinegar can be bought for forty cents the gallon with a reliable guarantee behind it for strength and quality. But you say, [Page 4] "Surely you must be mistaken about not being able to get cider vinegar from your grocer in bulk." No, gentle reader, do not be deceived by the stencil mark on the end of the barrel. If, perchance, this particular lot came from a nearby ranch, the odds are in favor of its not being worth carrying home. Do not understand me to speak thus lightly of all home-made vinegar for there is some to be found of splendid quality, but it is the exception. As a rule the storekeeper will apologize to the customer for his farm vinegar, but with that which comes from the wholesale dealer it is different. Most certainly a sad condition, when the first and best vinegar that was ever made came from the farm home! What is more, it cannot be obtained from the farmer or apple grower today for most of them are buying all of the vinegar they use. What has become of our apple vinegar industry, and why have the merchants turned their attention to the distilled article? The answer to this can be had without pursuing an extensive investigation into the economics of the question. It is simply this—the average run of farm vinegar is so inferior to the distilled product that the merchants cannot afford to handle it. The quality is so variable and the strength is so unreliable that the good housewife has learned through the repeated experience of having her pickles spoil not to ask for cider vinegar. There is no good reason why this condition of affairs should exist which has resulted in placing a boycott on the farm product, but in the light of the facts as they actually exist, is not the consumer justified in taking this stand? There is no doubt that the synthetic article has come to stay, but this does not mean that genuine apple vinegar is a thing of the past. However, until we are able to produce as good or better vinegar on the farm and in the orchard and can guarantee its quality and strength to be reasonably constant, we have no right to ask or to expect the public to buy an inferior product or to help build up the industry by its patronage.