Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-03-31

hlliS vi Haplt Nusdi hhhiHS.
Though the snow lies fall six feet deep il
the forests Of New Hampshire and Vermont
as we write, yet soon the sugar season viii
commence The suns rays arc now so pow
orful that few days Of south wind will scat
ter the snow aud the hoar frost. aud the saI
will mount up to the tops prepared for It's re-
coption. 1t seems now as if the sap must b,
moro plentiful, and Of a good quality, for tn,
roots have been well tucked up through III,
winter in an cider-down quilt Of snow. Tn,
quantity Of sap varies in quality with cacl
year; forty gallons Of sap will yield from ten
to twelve or even thirteen pounds of sugar
according to It's sweetness. The high price
Of sugar al this time, makes it incumbent
upon all the owners of sugar orchards Ia
manufacture the greatest amount Of sugar
possible, and Of the finest and purest quality.
| Cleanliness is as needful requisite in sugar
making as in butter making Buckets and
taps should be thoroughly scalded before using.
1t will seem a formidable undertaking to scald
three or five hundred buckets but it will pay
TO do it. Then all elm leaves should be
skinned out, as they color it gcatly Elm
bark and leaves are much used in domestic
hNlhEs anu are Nl an lHhAllNit NNlNIs l III
taps are used by some sugar makers-but
many of our best sugar manufacturers repu-
diate thcm-thiuking that they, by rusting,
darken the sugar All these things are Of
some importance towards the manufacture Of
good article.
When the sap runs freely, then the huge
pan is well secured and cleaned, and the fires
arc lighted in the sugar house which will be
kept burning until the season closes. Most
Of the pans used by small sugar orchards
hold forty gallons. These are filled, and
when the syrup is well boiled, but thin, it is
strained through linen cloths while hot into
clean butter Grkins which have been properly
scalded. his sets over night whio another
pan of sap boils, for during good sugar sea-
son watches are kept up every night.
In the carly morning the cooled syrup is
carefully poured off, leaving the settings,
which will amount to nearly quart, and
will work clear into vinegar And its absence
tends greatly to whiten the sugar The thin
syrup is boiled down to almost grained sugar,
and is poured into frkins and stirred off,
Stirring is very needlu thing in the manu-
facture of sugar. The sap must be stirred
and skinned, and skinned and stirred dur
ing the whole process Of boiling TO make
sugar cakes the sap is boiled to greater con-
sistency than for grained sugar, which is ex-
actly like common brown sugar, but if prop
erly made it will rival in chrystaline white
ness Stuarts coffee crushed A No. ! but a
peculiar process is required. The nearly
grained sugar is set aside until the warm
days in May, then it is turned into frkin in
the bottom of which an inch augur hole has
been bored stand it upon another frkin.
Take clean linen cloths wet in pure cold
water, and press tightly over the whole sur
face Of the sugar, leaving no part uncovered.
Next morning the white cloth will be of a
dark red color; rinse off the cloth, and leave
it soaking all day, applying another cloth in
the manner above described, wringing out the
cloths in pure water and pressing down tight
ly. This must be continued for three weeks
never allowing morning to pass
without changing the cloth. Full gallon of
high colored syrup will run out, which is very
strongly favored with maple, but is used for
cooking purposes. Sugar made in this man
ner is delicious, whether used in tea or ON
berries We hope our Berkshire and Hamp-
den county farmers will try this process off
sugar making and favor US with the results.
When the syrup is put on to boil the Sec
ond time, just as it comes to the boiling point
turn in iud coffee cup Of new milk, stir it |
well, and soon heavy scum rises to the top, !
which will carry off much sediments it must
be skinned off directly, for, if allowed to
boil in, it blackens instead of whitening it,
Most Of the farmers in the mountainous
towns Of these two States make all the sugar
and syrup they use in their families, and when
! good article is made no better sugar can be |
desired. We hope all our readers who are
their sugar making will make
strenuous endeavors to make all they can, |
and of A No. ] quality, for if the revolution
n Cuba continues we shall all be ready to use
rome made sugar, especially if equal to
'tuart's best.