Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1845-03-14
MAPLE SUGAR.

Almost every farmer has his own way of making
maple sugar, and is apt to consider his way the
best: still the fact that ninetenths of the sugar
manufactured is so impure to color tee, is very
bad comment upon the usual mode of manufacture
especially bad, when it is remembered that pure
maple sugar varies in respect from the sugar of
the cane, and may be made as clean and white as
the best Of the sugar of the Indies. Cleanliness
is the main thing requisite. To secure this, the
sap should be carefully strained the kettles should
be secured with vinegar and SANDY perfectly clean
and bright; and the syrup should be poured from
the kettles into clean wooden vessels as soon as
boiled to the proper consistency,-because if suf-
fcred to remain in metal vessels, it will become
discolored and thus color the sugar. Sap or syrup
should never be put in the kettles when sour, as
the acid will unite with the oxide of the metal, and
it forms an active poison if copper vessels used
TO correct the acid or prevent it, add one ounce of
clear lime water to every gallon of sap-measuring
the lime water in an ounce vial. f. w. Clark of
Otsego, N. Y, gives process of sugarng, as fol-
lows:
"When the syrup is reduced to the consistency
of West India moasses, set il away till it is per-
fectly cold, and then mix with 1t the clarifying mat
ter, which is milk or eggs. prefer eggs TO milk,
because, when heated, the whole of it curdles (;
whereas milk produces only a small portion of
curds. The eggs should be thoroughly beaten,
and efiectually mixed with the syrup while cold.
The syrup should then be heated till Just before it
would boil, when the curd rises, bringing with 1t
every impurty, even the coloring matter, great
portion of it, which had received from the smoke,
kettles, buckets, or reservoirs. The boiling should
be checked, and the scum carefully rcEhN ed, when
the syrup should be slowly turned into thick
wooden srainer, and left to through at its eis
urc. would remark that great proportion of the
sugar that is made in our country is not strained
after cleansing. This is an error. II examined
in a wine glass, innumerable minute and almost
imperceptible particles of curd will be float
ing in it, which, if not removed, render it liable to
burn, and otherwise injure the taste and color of it.
"a flannel strainer does this much better than a
linen one. 1t is indeed indispensable. AS to the
quantity of eggs necessary, one pint to pailu of
syrup is amply sufficient, and half as much will do
very well. now put my syrup into another ket-
tie, which has been made perfectly clean and bright,
when it is placed over quick but solid fire, and
soon rises, but is kept from overlooking by being
laded with long dipper. When it is sufficiently
reduced, Il ascertain this by dropping it from the
point of knife, while hot into one inch of cod
water-f done, it will not Immediately mix with
the water, but lies at the bottom in round fiat
drop, it is taken from the fire, and the foaming al
lowed to subside. A thick white scum, which is
useable, is removed, and the sugar turned into a
cask, placed on an inclined platform, and left I'M
disturbed for six weeks or longer, when it should
be tapped in the bottom, and the moasscs drawn
off. 1t will drain Perfectly dry in few days.
"The sugar made in this way is very nearly as
white as lump sugar. and beautifully grained. We
have always sold ours at the highest price of Mus.
cOvadoes and even when these Supars have sold
at eighteen cents, ours found a ready market at
twenty. Two hands will sugar off $50 pounds in
n day. From the scum taken off in cleansing,
usually make, by dluting and receansing, one
sixth as much as had at FIRST and of an equal
quality"