Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1871-03-10
agricultural.
Nfaple-SHgar Making.


The manufacture o: maplc-sussr will
soon engage the attention al those hay
ing the facilities for It's production.
What the season may be,n one, OF course
can forctell with certainty, but | sec no
reason why ii may not p,sve Il good one.
The amount of snow is small. in com
parison with some former years. which
will greatly facilitate the various opera
tons in sugar making, such as gathering
the sap, distributing the buckets. &c,
while the ground j. frozen sufficiently
hard aud to depth To insure good run
As to the time when this work should
be commenced, no general rules can be
given. I'm this State the weather is some
times warm enough the fore Part OF
March to commence tapping the trees.
but often not till the latter part OF the
month, or first OF April. have heard OF
people waiting I'LL "sap gets sweet" or
"till the moon is just right or some
similar nonsense.
II 10 an absurlity, TO sag the least. TO
talk about waiting for The sap to get
sweet, for those having experience in
the matter know that the first ''run" is al
ways the best. and makes the purest
and whitcst sugar. and it is equally
absurd 10 talk about waiting for The moon
TO get right.
One essential requisite To- The manu-
iscture OF nice article Of syrup ar sugar
is cleaRiiReSS. And il is necessary 10
exercise = good deal OF care through the
various processes to have the utensils free
from the faint ofmuStiness. or 4 woody
TASTE. and 20 keep The sap, before, and
while boiling down. free from lint and
particles that would impah lis taste OF
color.
Previous to the work OF tapping the
trees everything should he got in rcadi.
ness. Allthe utensils used about the manu-
iscioIe, r,m The buckets and spou,>, To
boiling pans and holders, should be
thoroughly cleaused by washing and
scalding.
1t is well to distribute the buckets
around to the trees prev ious to the time
Of tapping. unless You have a >ufhcicncy
OF help. For tapping, select a time after
y succession Of warm days and when The
sap viii flow freely. The wind being in
the Ncrih or West. Il is most always
the case that South wind will dry up
the sap very soon; though have known
a good run" with the wind in that dircc.
ton. it is not advisable to tap with the
wind blowing from that quarter.
For gathering the sap large Tub made
for the purpose about three and half
feet high, ct pine, largest at the boi,om'
So rs 10 stand firmly on tho sled is best.
A molassc> toS>hcad will answer very
well. but if the sap stands any length OF
time in it will be very likely II become
discolored. In the upper head an opcu-
ing should be cut sixteen or eighteen
inches square. having a cover neatly
fitted SO thai the sap will not slop while
drawing II. y coarse strsiner placed
over the opening in the tub will remove
all dirt OF leaves that may have got into
The sap. \ air OF traverS SledS will bc
found better tor gathering then long
one. After the sap j. hauled to the
boiling place a lin pump three inches in
diameter and four or five feet long, viii
be found convenient utensn for convey
ing the sap to the holding tub
The boiling down process is now pretty
generally done in sheet iron pans made
for the purpose, set upon an arch OF brick
work or stone.
A small pan for sugarirg off in, saw
last year at the residence of Mr.. j. t.
York. of Wilton. Il was about twenty
inches deep. and was used on D. kitchen
stove. 1t is very fine arrangement n
the fire in the stove is so easily controlled
that danger from burning is entirely re-
moved. lie assured me such an arrange
ment wa. the best he had ever used, for
the purpose Such pan would be lust
the thing Tor those tapping but a few
trees, and would obyiate the necessity Of
procuring larger utensils for boiling. and
also oil building an arch [-FRYR, JR-
Letcist0R Journal