Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-02-23

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mast do it in the most economical method
possible. viii you favor me with some
practical suggestions on the subject?
A SUBSCRIBER.
The best apparatus for making ma
pie sugar, as indeed from most other
operations on the farm, is in the long.
run the cheapest. You want then in
the first place, 1000 tin buckets. The
deep narrow ones are the best. They
do not catch so much rain water, and
do not, during a dry spell when the
sap does not run, subject the little sap
that may be in them to the degrading
influence of the sun and wind. Do
not for the sake of saving few cents,
or even a couple of dimes, suffer your
self to be cajoled into the belief that
some nice wooden buckets will do as
we'll as tin. No amount of washing,
scalding, painting, or doctoring OF any
kind, will keep a wooden bucket free
from the taintS of degradation-sour.
ing as it is more generally called
which expresses but half the meaning,
You next want 1000 SpOuts. The
best we have ever used, all things con-
sidered, is Wizards Franklin Spout.
1t is of wood, three inches long, bored
and burned out the whole length, and
has a hook made of wire fitted to it,
on which to hang the bucket. 1t pro-
tects the orifce in the tree from wind
and rain, and the black, charred in-
side has a most beneficial effect upon
the sap, and protects it from getting
tainted during the interval between
two "runs." An objection sometimes
raised against this spout is that it
stops some Of the pores of the tree,
the very pores that yield the most sap.
This is a most absurd objection. In
the first place the spout need lot, we
may say should not, be driven into
the wood at all, the bark being abun-
dainty strong to hold the spout and
a sixteen quart bucket Of sap, as we
know from abundant experience. In
the next place there are no tubes or
channels in trees analogous to the ar
teries and veins of animals, but the
vegetable fluids pass fr o m one
cell to another which is in contact,
vertically and horizontally; the fluids
of different densities passing through
the porous portions simultaneously in
opposite directions, commingling in
obedience to a law well understood
by chemists and Psychologists, and
which they call OsnaOe. We saw thou
sands of trees last spring in Connec
ticut valley with two or more spouts
in each, but we cannot recommend
the adoption of that practice. The
difference in the amount of sugar pro
duced does not compensate for tht
additional injury done to the tree
Use large tin gathering pals. If you
employ common farm hands you want
pals so large that they will not ordi
narily carry them more than three
quarters full, or they will waste theiI
wages every day over the top wher
they find just too much in bucket tC
fill the pail. Not one in a thousand
Of them will 90 back after a quart of
sap when by pouring it into the pal
and letting it run over he can get rid
of it. Get gathering tub Of $50 OF
200 gallons capacity, large at the bot
tom, and a wood shod sled to draw i
on. Two or more rings on the mid
die hoop to facilitate the fastening of
it to the sled are convenient. A
plank fitted to just fill the chime of
the tub, should be pinned or bolteC
to the beams Of the sled to keep the
tub from slipping about. A rubber
hose about one and a half inches il
diameter may be attached to the bot
tom of the tub behind, with the othe
end hooked up on top, through which
to discharge the load. A box with I
board bottom and perforated sides
tin is the best-is fitted into the hole
in the upper head or cover Of the tut
to catch ice, leaves, or any other for
eign matter, and keep it from getting
into the tub. Throw away the ic,
after it is drained; it will not pay TO
boiling.
| Build your sugar house by the sid,
Of some elevation of easy ascent, 81
as to run the sap down from the gath
ering tub into your store tubS-sap
holders as they are sometimes called
Make it large enough to hold a sea
sons wood and all your apparatus
board it up close and tight; do no
believe one word of the silly balder
dash about boiling faster in a curren
of cold air. If you want a ventilato
make it tubular, so small as not tt
permit counter currents of cold air
and running from near the top Of you
evapOrator out of the top of you
house, and as much higher as you
please, the higher the better but don
we beg of you make one of those grea
fiat things called ventilators, that lie
in current of cold air on one sid,
and promise to let out a current OF
steam on the other. There will al
ways be air enough in the house make
it as close as you will. and warm 81,
buoys up and carries off some OF tht
vapor of the evaporators, while thu
cold air only condenSes it and throw
it down within the house.
For store tubs get new ones mad
of pine, and fit covers to them to keel
out everything that should not be il
them; but more especially to keel
them from the influence of the air, tn
heat of the house, and from condens
ing the vapors of the evaporators.-
Old rum and molasses casks spoi
more sugar than they are worth ever
year, and though sometimes used ar
wholly unfit for storage.
The evaporating apparatus is tn
, next thing to be considered, and a
you are starting entirely new, we aC
wise by all means that you get th
Corey evaporator-you will want NJ
7-l5 feet long and it will cost 20