Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1870-03-25
Westminster West Agricultural AS
SOciatiOn.

President in chair-March IS, 1870.
Subject-Best method of manufacturing
maple sugar and syrups.
GEo. CAMpBELL.-At the present day.
where one is we'll located, the making of
maple sugar is quite source of profit
to the farmer-quite different from eve
olden times" when all the tools employ
ed were an axe, a few wooden troughs, a
sap yoke and kettle or two suspended
from pole resting in crotched posts,
around which were rolled the back logs.
Thus did our fathers toll and work, syr-
uping down once in four or six days, and
finally producing mere apology for
what we now call maple sugar. Changes
in the art of sugar making have been
gradually taking place. The first step
was the introduction of chaldron kettles
set in arches and buckets hung to the
trees, but these arches were found to be
defective, as the fire would deaden down
and choke up with Goals. This led to
the introduction of the fire CRATE, one
very great improvement; next came the
sap pan for boiling which is now quite
extensively used, and with which very
nice work can be done but the obsery
ing mind noticed that there was loss of
fuel as the heat escaped unused at the
throat of the arch, hence the introduce
ton OF the heater, a great fuel saving
Improvement, but later and best of all
is the introduction of the Evaporator,
the great advantage of which is the dis
patch with which sap can be reduced to
syrup, as this and cleanliness is the secret
of nice sugar making. The only obiec-
ton l can see to the general introduction
OF the Evaporation is its high price !;
think it is much higher than it ought to
be, but the market being controlled by
patentees, suppose We must submit, or
substitute something in its stead, and /
think our common sap pans may be ar
ranged so as to answer very nearly the
same purpose by placing one above the
other and conducting the sap from one
to the other. In tapping trees, / think
the result of our committees experience
was, that half-inch bit was better than
anything larger the larger holes started
with little more flow of sap but soon
dried up and did not produce as much
as the smaller hole; would not use more
than one Spite to the bucket and in gath
ering would strain all the sap. Sugar.
houses should be located where the san
can tie run from the gathering tnb into
the holders and from the holders to the
pans. The house should be much high.
er posted than is the common practice tn
build that there may be free circula.
ton OF air, that may prevent in a mea
sure the dropping of condensed steam. |
In sugaring off would do it as soon as
possible and in small quantities of not
over fifty pounds. After sugar is made
have had some difficulty in keeping
would like to learn some good method of
keeping, also would like to be informed
as to how sap flows-up or down.
REUBEN MILLER.-I still use the san
pans for boiling; can do very good work
with them. Everything connected with
sugar making should be neat and clean
practice straining all my sap. Should
have boiling apparatus enough to boil
all the sap that runs the same day; usu-
ally syrup down twice day. Think
the heater crate economy in fuel. / use