This resulted in a product that was very dark, and partially flavored by the bark, ashes, etc. that made its way into the open kettle. It was still the normal practice to make sugar instead of syrup, for the same reasons as the Indians. Until the 1800's, maple sugar was the primary sugar in the United States. Only when the cane sugar industry began in the Caribbean Islands did cane sugar begin to replace it. Maple syrup and sugar became special delicacies, rather than staples.
Maple sugaring in Vermont has a long history.
In the early days, most of the production was by individuals for their own use, rather than as a business. Eventually, when it was no longer practical for every family to make their own syrup, individuals went into the business of making syrup to sell. The sap was collected into large tanks on sleds or wagons drawn by oxen or horses. Buildings, called sugar houses, were erected to house the boiling process. The evaporator pan was invented, allowing more control of the quality of the process.