The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1864-02-10
Maple Sugar Making.

The sap Of the Sugar or Rock Maple
when il first flows in the spring. is 10 APP
pearance nearly rs clear and liquid as pure
water, and in reality il contains scarcely
anything but cane sugar. The sugar is
more easily obtained iu n marketable
state than from the ucies of any other
plant yielding sugar for commerce. IL
the sap be puIe and clear as it flows from
the tree, it is only necessary to boil il
down in clean vessels, taking care not TO
burn it, aud when sufficiently concentral-
cd, to preserve il as molassos, or after
boiling more 10 pour it into morlds. The
amount of uncrystalized sugar or moass-
es necessarially produced is very s,hall,
but rs the molasses is quite as much val
uod as sugar in most markets, this has
led TO some neglect of tie sap, and dete-
rioated the character of both sugar and
molasses.
Let the first fact stated above, be fixed
in the mind, viz, that pure sap yields
nearly pure sugar, and that the coloringi
the qhality, and much of the labor of SUI
gar making, result from foreign substan-
ces that get into the sap while in the
troughs, etc. Remember farther, that in
the absence Of these foreign materials the
amount of crystalized sugar obtained will
be much greater We SEQ then, the i'm
portance of securing the greatest possible
cleanliness, in everything connected with
collecting and manufacturing the sap
Exposure to the air produces fermenta-
ton, and dimiuishes the crystalized sugar
rapidly; therefore, covered vessels, and
boiling as fast as tho sap flows, are i'm
portant. Fermentation Of the sap also
Injuries the peculiar maple flavor" which
is so greatly relished. The quality of
the sap, that is the amount of sngar To
the barrel of sap, varies considerably from
year to year but we kuoH Of no accurate
experiments touching it, nor to determine
the character of other substances present
in the sap.
The wooden sap troughs and potash ket-
ties are still in use in some parts of the
country, but enterprisiug sugar makers
use wooden buckets which nre preferable
to tin, and flat evaporating pans, and the
sugar is much improved. The sap is
sometimes conducted 10 the sugar-bouse
in "leaders "or smal! wooden troughs, which
would be improved by scalding them ont
once day to prevent souring. In like
manner the buckets ought to be scalded
occasionally. The trees are tapped with
halfinch augurs, and the hole enlarged
with sixteenth OF an inch larger bit, be-
fore the close of the flowing season. The
sap spouts are to 8 inches in lenght
inch square, or turned round having q /
inch hole bored through them. The ends
are tapered of, and they are dIiven into
tho holes Of the trees so rs TO barely hold.
If tubs are used to collect the sap, there
should be holes of about 10 inches square
cut to pour in the sap, and over them lin
en- towels should be laid. to strain out
sticks, leaves ETC., if the Arrangements of
the buckets, etc, are not so perfect rs to
exclude all filth, as is desirable. After
this, the sap must be Kept covered. The
storing tubs should stand on higher
ground than the boiling pan, so that the
sap will flow from one to another. Dur
ing the boiling, skim as often as scum ris-
es. 1t is seldom that much skimming is
necessary. When the cooled syrup is
nearly as thick as good molasses, draw it
of into a tub TO settle, s,raining through
a flannel strainer. Here any sediment
will DO deposited. After the syrup has
settled clear, draw il of, and boil it down
again until it is thick enough to sugar of.
When tho sugar is to be leaked" or
"stirrcd," it must be boiled until spoon
ful Of il put upon snow will be perfectly
brittle when cold. The liquid sugar IS
taken from the fire and when granulation
has commenced, and The mass is thickon-
ed considerably, fill the moulds rapidly. If
it is to be stirred, at the same tit1e CON-
mcnce stirring, the kettle being held firm
ly, and stir the mass till it has the ap-
pearahce of dry brown sugar of the shops.
When it is to be drained it is usually
taken from the fire before it wonld cool
brittle, and after standing until it granu-
lates quite thoroughly, il is ladled out IN
TO tubs with false bottoms, some inches
above the true, 8 or holes beihg in the
false bottom, ind covered by saucers or
plugged by found smooth sticks. The
sugar is ladled into the tubs, and when
settled tho plugs are loosened and partly
withdrawn, so that the molasses will run
through. This may be drawn of from
the bottoms of the tubs.-Americdn Ag-
ricuiturist.
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